By BELLAMY HUNT
This is a story about a
camera, a rather special camera. Every camera has a history, so they say. But
it is not all that often that one has such a rich and documented history. One
that was thought to be lost but has been found again. This is the story of Sean
Flynn’s Leica M2.
I have been very lucky
throughout my career to have found some amazing cameras, but every now and
again you come across something that sets itself apart. This is one of those
cameras. The vast majority of the cameras I see have no record — you literally
have no idea where they have been. But this camera is different, it has a
well-documented history that was thought to have been lost. But through a bit
of digging and a lot of luck, the history of this camera has revealed itself.
This really is a story of
serendipity. I was offered this camera earlier this year by a representative of
the Flynn family. As soon as I was told about the history of the camera I knew
exactly who would want it. One of my clients has a particular taste for cameras
with a history and this was the camera for him.
But first, we should go
back and talk a little bit about Sean Flynn.
Who Was Sean Flynn?
Sean Flynn was the only
child of the famed actor Errol Flynn and Lili Damita and was well known for his
work as a photojournalist covering the Vietnam War. Flynn worked closely with
special units in Vietnam and Cambodia, capturing incredible images of the war.
Many of his images would be considered to be the raw view of an especially
brutal war.
Flynn even parachuted into
war zones with the unit he was embedded with, working side by side with the
soldier to capture extremely compelling images.
In 1970, he was kidnapped
in Cambodia while on the way to an assignment with fellow photojournalist Dana
Stone and was never to be seen again.
There were reports that
both Flynn and Stone were kidnapped by the Vietcong and then handed to the
Khmer Rouge before being executed, but remains were never found. Flynn’s mother
spent her life and fortune trying to find a trace of her son, but sadly it was
to no avail. Sean Flynn was declared legally dead in 1984.
Upon his disappearance,
Sean Flynn apparently left behind an apartment in Paris which contained a
number of his belongings, most of which went back to the hands of his family
and friends, though there is some dispute about this as it seems there were a
number of belonging that were missing. One of the pieces that did go back was
this camera though. The camera. Sean Flynn’s Leica M2.
The Camera
This is Sean Flynn’s Leica
M2, with a Steel Rim Leica 35mm Summilux and a strap that was hand fashioned
from a parachute cord and a hand grenade pin.
One of the things that
makes this camera so special is that we absolutely know where it has been, who
it belonged to, and what it has been doing. How do we know this? Because the
camera has been doing nothing, absolutely nothing. This camera has been tucked
away in a dark corner for more than 30 years. But recently the family finally
decided that a new home should be found for it, which is when they found me.
This means that the last
person to use the camera was in all likelihood Sean Flynn. To me that makes
this camera really special. The camera has a beautiful patina, from heavy
usage. But it also has grime, grime that could well have come from Sean Flynn
handling the camera. There is dust too, but I would not dare wipe it away. You
can see the memories and the marks on the camera, and you can attribute them to
someone, which is amazing.
This is an important
camera due to the nature of ownership, and with that comes a certain amount of
responsibility. A camera like this is an important piece of history and needs
to be treated as such. Fortunately, I had someone in mind whom I knew would be
the perfect person to take care of this remarkable piece.
And this is where the
serendipity kicks in. It turns out that the new owner of this camera was not
only aware of the history of the camera, but he was friends with Frank Palmos,
who knew Tim Page.
Tim has been instrumental
in helping piece together the history of this camera for us. Tim confirmed that
this is the camera that Sean shot with in Vietnam, as he remembers sitting with
Sean in ‘Frankie’s House’ as Sean made the strap for the camera from the
parachute cord and pin: “We used to have arts & crafts sessions where we
would customise our field kit and equipment”.
He also very kindly
provided images taken of Sean with the camera and pictures that Sean had taken
with the camera which you can see here.
This was a major discovery
— that we actually have a record of the camera and images taken with the
camera. But it was about to get even better. You see, it turns out that this
story started when a photographer in the USA found Sean Flynn’s bag at an
antique show in Atlanta. Tim Page was sent the bag and it is in his possession,
soon to be reunited with the camera.
What’s Next?
So this is where the story
ends, right? Will the camera be locked up in a collectors cabinet, hidden from
the public eye to be forgotten? No, this camera is far too important to have
that happen. This camera is going to be the centerpiece of a retrospective show
of Sean Flynn’s work, and the work of other photographers that knew Sean Flynn.
The camera will be
featured with the bag and prints of Sean’s, Tim’s and other’s work at shows in
the Leica store in Hanoi and at a government house in Ho Chi Minh city. There
is the possibility of the show touring to other countries in the future. The
camera will reside in Saigon with its owner.
The camera survived
Vietnam, Cambodia, PNG, Indonesia, the 6 Day War in Israel and Euro travels.
Fortunately, Flynn did not have the camera with him when he was captured in the
Parrot’s Beak of Eastern Cambodia, near Chi Pou on April 6th, 1970 with fellow
photographer Dana Stone.
It is an honor to have
been able to be a part of this incredible story. Finding cameras is always
exciting, but this one is a once-in-a-career event. I will be attending the
shows in Vietnam in the coming months, and I am looking forward to meeting the
photographers that worked with Sean Flynn and knew him.
Helping to put something
like this together is what makes my job so rewarding for me. Seeing the life of
a camera so special is an exciting and emotional experience.
I am always on the lookout
for cameras with a history and a story to tell. Drop me a line if you have one
or know someone that does.
I would like to extend my
sincere thanks to Chad Kiser for helping me to work with the Flynn family. And
to Tim Page for assistance with the images you see here. All images used with
permission. No reproduction without prior consent.
About the author: Bellamy
Hunt is a photographer based in Tokyo, Japan, and the man behind Japan CameraHunter. The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author.
Hunt sources quality cameras and photo gear from Japan for customers around the
world. You can find more of his writing on his website. This article was also
published here.
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