THOUSAND OAKS : Camera Exhibit Gives Visitors Picture of Past

For a 71-year-old camera, the Sept 35-millimeter sports some pretty sophisticated technology.

The French-made camera can film and project motion pictures, enlarge photographs and take snapshots. And it’s only one of a dozen cameras that puts modern technology to shame in the Stagecoach Inn Museum’s new “Time Exposures” exhibit.

On display through the end of September, the exhibit features vintage still-photo and motion-picture cameras borrowed from private collectors across Ventura County.

A late 19th-Century magic lantern uses a kerosene lamp inside a copper and tin box to project pictures--hand painted on glass slides--on nearby walls. A Kodak vest-pocket camera from 1915 folds up, accordion style, to a compact, lightweight box. And hand-cranked movie cameras from the turn of the century sparkle with brass accents and other gizmos.

“We think we’re so modern in our technology, but when I look at some of these cameras and see what they could do back then, it seems we have a long way to go,” exhibit curator Darlene Appleford said.

To fulfill the exhibit’s goal, which Appleford described as “giving people a better appreciation of the past,” the museum will periodically show silent movies and taped interviews with a camera restoration expert.

Admission to the exhibit is included in the regular museum fee of $2 for adults and $1 for seniors and children.

But today, admission is free, as the Conejo Valley Historical Society sponsors a mini-festival to launch the exhibit.

Docents dressed in turn-of-the-century costumes, from plumed hats to flowing capes to silk skirts, will guide visitors through the camera displays and a one-day exhibit of Model T cars. Volunteers wearing old-fashioned lace bodices and antique jewelry also will lead guests to lectures about antique cameras and the art of restoring old movies.

The Stagecoach Inn Museum on South Ventu Park Road is open Wednesdays through Sundays from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. For more information, call 498-9441.