From the Collection of Photojournalist Martha Cooper
See a selection of toy cameras and figures collected by documentary photographer Martha Cooper in a new display just outside the Field of Play exhibit on the museum’s first floor. Learn about Cooper’s life and career in photography, which has included snapping pictures of urban play for more than 50 years. Then view a sampling of the more than 450 items The Strong acquired from Cooper, including a:
- Dream Pets: Flash Fox (ca. 1960). This miniature stuffed animal clutching a camera originated in Japan. More than 2,000 different Dream Pets were made.
- Fisher-Price Changeable Picture Disc Camera (ca. 1968). This toy camera came with interchangeable discs containing pictures from classic stories.
- Special Camera Mickey Mouse. Toy cameras like this one were often sold in Japanese candy stores, toy stores, and as magazine supplements. The camera required the use of sunlight to print a pattern or image on paper.