catch of the year GOOD OLD TIMES BLOG
words KENNETH OLAUSSON photos courtesy of HUSQVARNA
On a murky autumn day in 1980 , a Swedish photographer made a highly unusual discovery . Getting rid of his waste in a nearby recycling area , Ludde De Geer found a huge batch of photos in the form of old glassnegatives . It took him 25 years and some new technology to save his ‘ catch of the year ’. Among the shots was an epic Christmas show Husqvarna photograph from 1934 …
“ I went there after a tip-off from a friend ,” says Ludde De Geer , “ a few 10-year-old boys were playing around this container when I discovered the big heap of negative-glasses . The boys helped me in taking care of the delicate glass plates and I managed to load my car
up with them , before the rain set in . It could have spoilt the entire find . I guess I turned up just in time ”.
The absurd discovery was met with doubt . “ I just couldn ’ t believe my eyes ,” says Ludde De Geer . “ Who in the world would throw away such treasure without thinking twice ?” It turned out that the well-known photo company All-Foto in Stockholm had cleaned out their warehouse and had abandoned part of their archives to make space for a more modern inventory .
A telephone call to All-Foto confirmed his findings . Now , Ludde was good to go . However , de Geer ’ s archive digging and fishing out glass negatives
ON THE PEGS // PAGE 138