The Frank Hohenberger (1876-1963) collection that will be presented on Nov. 9 and 10 at the historical society offers more than a few surprises for visitors. In addition to many of his black-and-white photographs, we will show a group of Hohenberger’s hand-colored photographs, and we will display two of his cameras along with some of his studio equipment.

By the 1950s, Hohenberger had learned to hand-color photographs from his close friend, Merle Brandenberg, an art teacher in Connersville. He worked with photographic oils (oil paints in tubes or oil pencils of various color). The colored photographs in our display appear to have been done with colored pencils. Colored paints were applied to enhance or retouch certain parts of even the earliest daguerreotypes (1840s), and hand-coloring the entire photograph was an off-and-on craze even after color film became available. Not everyone’s efforts are as successful as Hohenberger’s. He was a perfectionist in his work and gave a good deal of thought to most everything that he did.

Should you wish to hand-color one of your own black-and-white photographs, first choose a matte or semi-matte bright white paper with a slightly rough texture. Don’t try this work on glossy paper; the glossy surface will prevent your oils from being absorbed by the paper. Reduce the contrast of your photograph by about 10 percent and then you are ready to print. Try hand-coloring with crayons or colored pencils that you may already have at hand. If you get serious about your work, then you can find photographic oils (in tubes or pencils) for sale on the internet.

Each of the Hohenberger cameras on display is a classic:

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2C Autographic Kodak Jr. This camera was introduced in 1914 and available until 1932. It was a large format, folding camera, that used a special autographic roll film for 2 7/8-inch by 4 7/8-inch frames. The camera body has a little window on the back; when you took a photograph, then you immediately unlatched the window and used a metal stylus to record an inventory number or exposure information onto the margin of the film. You kept the window open for a few seconds to expose that small section of the film.

Folmer Graflex. Known as the Speed Graphic, from 1912 to 1973, Graflex produced medium and large format press cameras. They were used by most of the photojournalists during the first half of the 20th century. Frank Hohenberger’s Graflex uses a film holder for pieces of cut film, 4 by 5 inches, that must be loaded in complete darkness. Photographers who used a Graflex tried to anticipate when the action was about to take place or when the subject was perfectly posed in order to take just the right picture, and to avoid the reloading of film for a retake. Our display shows the flash attachment which could be held apart or attached to the camera body. Hohenberger avoided the use of flashbulb light.

Additional photographic equipment on display: Iron photo press, used to flatten photographs. Photo enlarger. Enlarging lens. Print dryer.

The late Fred King, who was a good friend of Hohenberger, spoke of him in talks that he gave to the historical society in the 1970s and again in the 1980s. Fred said that Frank would wait for just the right light — from the sun. If he did work in his studio, then he would use photographic lamps, not flashbulbs. He really was a perfectionist. He did not take snapshots; he thought about a picture before he took the picture.

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OPENING: 5 to 8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 9, with wine tasting, silent auction and a chili dinner, $10

CONTINUES: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 10, along with the Abe Martin Bazaar, a silent auction and chili dinner

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