Are you a camera buff or collector, or know someone who is? This collection has come together nicely, with a vintage nod, to that world. There are three items included in this listing:

1 - 1950s ceramic figurine of a darling young man who is engrossed in getting the right shot with his brownie camera. He is dressed in his outdoor field gear with a jaunty red scarf around his neck. The look on his face is adorable as he is so "serious" about the task of preparing the shot! This style was fairly common in the 1940s as inexpensive porcelain, hand painted, from Japan was one of the ways to bring the country back into the world economy after the war. Often the pieces were similar in presentation to Hummel figurines, but much more rudimentary and painted with a less detailed style. They are getting harder and harder to find as the Greatest Generation's estates, who were the collectors, are less and less common. This is a really charming example of that period work and I thought it would be perfect for the office bookshelf or even amongst maps and globes as it was found at an Estate sale.

There are no markings on the piece anywhere. I was only able to find one similar in my research and it was not marked either. I do believe it was likely made in Japan.

The piece is in really nice, vintage condition. No chips or cracks. Amazingly the fingers are not broken and there are no chips on the edges,

The paint is haphazardly applied, but that was the way it was done originally. I do not believe the paint has rubbed off with age, but rather it was always this way. There are two spots - one on the red scarf and one just below it on the blue jacket that may have the paint missing. I can't tell if it was that way from production or a small usage flaw. The outside edges of the shoes on the bottom are unpainted and unglazed. Dimensions: 8 1/2" tall, 3" wide (at widest point of coat bottom), 3 1/4" deep at hands

2- A cardboard Photo Troubleshooter with retro illustrations to aid in photography. It is a two part cardboard piece with an external cover and an inside solution set (see video for demonstration).

The instructions for the piece on the front are:

Pull slide until black dot appears alongside of the photographic problem you want to remedy; then read the cause and solution of that problem in the window above.

There are solution sets for Too Light, Too Dark, Dull, Too Blue, Too Orange, Too Green, Blurred, Black Slides/Blank Negatives and Blank Slides/Black Negatives

The instructions for the piece on the back are:

Pull slide until black dot appears alongside of the photographic situation you are interested in; then read some helpful suggestions in the window above.

There situations are: Nature, Wildlife, Landscapes, People, Buildings, Family Events, Sporting Events, For Newspapers and Magazines, On a Beach or in the Snow, Sunsets, At Dawn or Dusk, Under Fluorescent Light, Under Incandescent Light, With Artistic Effects

Both sides have illustrations of people taking photographs in bright orange, green and black by Mort Gross. This was an advertising piece from TCS Photofinishing Co.

It is in good vintage condition with some ruffling of the edges and Pull Tabs. There are some surface creases along the middle of the piece. No rips, tears, frayed parts however and it would display really well. What a fun piece to add to your Mid-Century collection. A nod to a time when we all didn't have cameras that took the guess work out of photography at our finger tips! Dimensions: 3 3/4” x 8 3/4" x 3 1/4” deep at hands

3 - "Your Camera and How it Works" by Dobbs and Savage, Copyright 1939, 11the Printing, Little Technical Library, Ziff-Davis Publishing Company. The cover has tan paper-covered boards and brown titles on front, gray titles on binding. 130 pages in total. There are chapters on buying your camera, how shutters work, making an exposure, etc. with black and white photography and diagrams throughout. The corners and edges of the cover are rubbed and it is slightly bowed in the middle so the cover does not lay completely flat. Inside, the pages are darkened and have some age marks. No writing in book. Original price tag from Montgomery Wards in the back.(95 cents) Dimensions: 6 7/8" x 4 3/4" x 1/2"

Sold as a Set of Three (Figurine, Troubleshooter and book)