Among our cherished family heirlooms, my husband Charlie treasures three vintage cameras. One of them, a Nikon F, has a special place in our collection—it belonged to his Uncle Ralph Murphy. In 2012, during a visit with Aunt Jean, she entrusted Charlie with this classic camera and Uncle Ralph’s collection of slides. While the stories behind the other two cameras remain unconfirmed, Charlie believes they also belonged to Ralph, who passed them down to his younger brother Earl—Charlie’s father—as he upgraded his equipment. Together, these three cameras and their accompanying slides chronicle precious moments in our family’s history.
We believe Ralph began taking photos in 1947 with an Argus C3, his first camera. This sturdy camera, produced from 1939 to 1966, was a favorite among amateur photographers in post-war America. Heavy and solid, it was built with an all-metal body and equipped with a 50mm f/3.5 lens. The all-black Argus C3 earned its nickname “The Brick” for its distinctive blocky shape.
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Black Argus C3 camera with flash attachment and case |
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Back of black Argus C3 camera |
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Back view of black Argus C3 camera with flash attachment and case |
The second Argus camera is a Match-Matic version of the Argus C3, and has a distinctive two-tone beige/tan and black body. This version dates from around 1950 and features a 50mm f/3.5 lens. The Match-Matic version has upgraded flash capability and simplified exposure settings. We believe Ralph purchased this version to upgrade his photography capabilities, and gave the original Argus C3 camera to Earl in the mid-1950s so he could capture photos of his growing family.
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Tan Argus camera and case |
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Back view of tan Argus camera |
The Nikon F that Aunt Jean gave Charlie in 2012 completes our vintage camera collection. This camera, introduced in 1959, represented a significant advance in camera design with its solid, all-metal construction. While we are unable to determine exactly when Ralph acquired it, we know he expanded his photography equipment with two important additions: a Nikkor-H Auto lens and a telephoto lens, reflecting his growing interest in photography.
The Nikon F is a heavy piece of equipment—the camera body alone weighed 1.3 pounds, reaching 1.9 pounds with its finder and batteries. With both lenses added, Ralph would have carried nearly 3 pounds of camera equipment during his photo sessions. Today, a complete Nikon F set like this might be valued between $300 and $500, but its real worth lies in the thousands of family moments it captured over the decades.
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Ralph’s Nikon F camera, lens, and case |
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Back of Ralph’s Nikon F camera |
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Ralph’s camera bag and Nikon F manual |
Ralph’s photographic legacy extends far beyond the cameras themselves. His slide collection—21 boxes (many indexed)—chronicles nearly four decades of American life, from 1947 to 1984. Through his lens, he preserved not only family gatherings and cross-country road trips, but also significant moments of West Virginia history: a soap box derby in Nutter Fort, summer days at Tygart Lake, the rising of Clarksburg’s Skyline Drive-in, events at Palace Furniture, the excitement of local car races, town parades, and even the floods that shaped the region.
These slides, documenting both everyday moments and historical events, offer a remarkable window into mid-20th century American life through the eyes of a passionate photographer. To explore some of Ralph’s remarkable archive, click here.
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Some of the storage boxes filled with Ralph’s slides |
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Ralph Murphy |
References
- Argus C3; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argus_C3.
- Argus Match-Matic C3; https://camera-wiki.org/wiki/Argus_Match-Matic_C3.
- Nikon F; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikon_F.
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