The Heart Behind 

MANDELETTE PHOTOGRAPHY

Many photographers say that photography runs in their blood, for me, it's really true. My great-grandfather, Louis Mandel (pictured below), founded the Chicago Ferrotype Company in the early twentieth century. Together, he and his son Gerald—my late grandfather—patented and produced the Mandelette camera, the namesake for my company. 
The Mandelette was portable, compact, and able to produce developed photos in under one minute, and it became the world's most popular street camera in the 1920s-1940s. Aspiring business owners were able to make extra income by working as street photographers, offering snapshots to passersby for an 8-and-a-half cent profit.

I imagine the countless moments that have been captured on Mandelette cameras—children enjoying a day at the fair, a family spending an afternoon strolling the city streets, a young couple out on a first date. Now, those moments are memories. How many families treasure that old, tattered picture of grandma as a young girl grinning ear to ear? It's so special to me that my family was able to create that feeling for so many others.

I am honored to carry on the family legacy of capturing moments, preserving memories, and helping photographers grow into successful business owners.