The Collection
The family snapshots in this collection were taken between 1956 and 1978 by William D. Copeland, Jr. They record the daily life, amusements, vacations, holidays, gardens, birthdays, and other milestones of one family living in the Boston area. Most were taken with Kodachrome slide film, with the occasional roll of Ektachrome film. The approximately 3500 slides were cataloged by Bill’s wife, Priscilla Murch Copeland.
The Camera
In 1956, Bill Copeland acquired an Argus C3 camera. The Argus C3 was an affordable camera made from 1939 to 1966 by Argus Cameras, Inc. of Ann Arbor, Michigan. The camera was the best-selling 35mm camera in the world for nearly three decades, and helped popularize both the 35mm format and Kodachrome color film. The Argus C3 was often referred to as “The Brick” on account of its shape, size, and weight.
The Slide Show
The slide show was part of popular culture in postwar America. When a box of slides arrived, the projector and screen would be set up after supper and the storytelling would ensue. Sometimes the audience would fall into a bored stupor as the night wore on and it was only an overheated projector that would bring the show to a close. Then the slides be filed away, many of them unlikely to be screened again
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