ATTACHMENT, FLASH

Description: A METAL TUBE WITH A SCREW-ON BAKELITE CAP ON ONE END, AND AN ALUMINUM L-SHAPE BRACKET ON THE OTHER. IMPRESSED INTO BAKELITE CAP IS "GRAFLEX SYNCHRONIZER BATTERY CASE MANUFACTURED BY GRAFLEX, INC. ROCHESTER 8, N.Y. U.S.A.". TUBE HAS 2 METAL CLAMPS AROUND IT WITH RECTANGULAR EXTRUSIONS. ETCHED ON SIDE OF TUBE IS "GRAFLEX". THERE ARE 5 PORTS NEAR ONE END OF TUBE, LABELLED "EXTENSION", "SHUTTER", "BATTERY", "REMOTE", AND "SOLENOID". THERE IS ALSO A RED BUTTON AT THIS END.

History: ITEM WAS USED TO SYNCHRONIZE FLASH WITH CAMERA SHUTTER. BELONGED TO DONOR'S FATHER, WILLIAM J. FRUET WHO OWNED A PHOTOGRAPHY STUDIO (FRUET STUDIO) IN LETHBRIDGE, ON 5TH STREET SOUTH FROM 1939 TO 1963. HE WAS A SCHOOL PHOTOGRAPHER FOR ALL SOUTHERN ALBERTA FOR APPROXIMATELY 30 YEARS. WILLIAM WAS ALSO KNOWN FOR THE NUMEROUS LANDSCAPES HE PHOTOGRAPHED OF THE AREA. MANY OF THESE WERE SEEN IN EXHIBITIONS THROUGHOUT THE WORLD. WILLIAM WAS BORN IN 1906 IN ZURICH SWITZERLAND, WHERE HE WAS ALSO RAISED. HE CAME TO CANADA IN 1924 TO SOUTHERN SASKATCHEWAN, AND CAME TO LETHBRIDGE IN 1926. HE REMAINED HERE THE REST OF HIS LIFE AS HE CONSIDERED IT THE MOST BEAUTIFUL PLACE IN THE WORLD. STORY GOES THAT PEOPLE IN THE CITY (IE. MAYOR SHACKLEFORD) SUPPORTED WILLIAM TO GET A START DURING THE DEPRESSION. WILLIAM BEGAN HIS STUDIO WORK IN HIS EARLY 30S, AND RETIRED IN 1972. WILLIAM WAS A MEMBER OF THE CANADIAN LEGION, MINER'S LIBRARY CLUB, AND LABOR CLUB. DONOR'S MOTHER'S FAMILY (SKRUKWA) SETTLED IN SOUTHERN ALBERTA IN THE LATE 1800S. WILLIAM FRUET PASSED AWAY IN 1973 AND DONOR'S BROTHER (STANLEY) STORED HIS FATHER'S PHOTOGRAPHIC EQUIPMENT WITH THE INTENTION OF USING IT. WHEN STANLEY PASSED AWAY IN MAY 2001, DONOR CAME INTO POSSESSION OF ARTIFACTS.