# The flashlight camera (British)? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 5, 2022, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-flashlight-camera-british/969159 "2022-08-05T18:25:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![mixdenny](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mixdenny/32/2962_2.png) [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2022, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-flashlight-camera-british/969159/1 "2022-08-05T18:25:04Z")
While doing a search on carrots I came across the mention of Woolton Pie. This was a pie made of vegetables during WWII and named after the Minister of Food. Part of the description reads, “When Woolton pie was being forced on somewhat reluctant tables, Lord Woolton performed a valuable service by submitting to the flashlight camera at public luncheons while eating, with every sign of enjoyment, the dish named after him.” I assume it is just a different way of talking about flash photography but I have never heard it. Googling turns up nothing. ---
**Author:** ![mattgg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ccd318/32.png) [@mattgg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mattgg)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2022, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-flashlight-camera-british/969159/2 "2022-08-05T18:33:22Z")
I found references to “flashlight” with regard to photography in a book from 1915. It does appear to mean what we refer to as flash photography. [The Amateur Photographer and Photographic News](https://books.google.com/books?id=e1KaMyIQZMMC&lpg=PA491&ots=tI2Ep0aaf-&dq=flashlight%20camera%20british%20army&pg=PA491#v=onepage&q=flashlight%20camera%20british%20army&f=false) ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2022, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-flashlight-camera-british/969159/3 "2022-08-05T18:38:25Z")
We’d obviously call it _flash photography_ rather than _flashlight photography_ today. Perhaps the latter is an archaic term, or perhaps it was just an error. Bear in mind that in the U.K. _flashlight_ does not mean an American flashlight, our word for that is _torch_. The absence of that ambiguity might explain why (if it’s simply a mistake) it was not corrected. It also strikes me that while _flash photography_ is standard, “the flash camera” sounds a bit odd. If both terms were then in use for photgraphy, “the flashlight camera” sounds better to my ear. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2022, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-flashlight-camera-british/969159/4 "2022-08-05T18:47:54Z")
In the early days, photographs used separate flash lighting. Then along came cameras with built in flashes. We called them flash cameras, but they could have first been called flashlight cameras, but that would clash with flashlights. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2022, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-flashlight-camera-british/969159/5 "2022-08-05T18:49:27Z")
> [@Hari\_Seldon](#): > > that would clash with flashlights But not in the U.K. ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2022, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-flashlight-camera-british/969159/6 "2022-08-05T20:30:34Z")
> [@mixdenny](#): > > Lord Woolton performed a valuable service by submitting to the flashlight camera at public luncheons while eating There was still quite an aloofness between politicians and the media, outside quite formal occasions, until well into the 50s. Woolton, as a former retail tycoon, was adept at marketing, and as Minister for Food needed to be, to keep people not too disgruntled with the food situation. So, unlike many of his colleagues, he was quite happy to showboat a bit like that - and Churchill used him after the war to revitalise Tory Party organisation and marketing accordingly. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2022, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-flashlight-camera-british/969159/7 "2022-08-05T20:37:36Z")
It’s probably also worth mentioning that indoor photography of anything but a completely still subject would pretty much _require_ flash in those days. It’s still often used today, but technology would allow a photographer the option to do without a flash if they wanted to be unobtrusive. ---
**Author:** ![the\_art\_of\_rolling](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/59ef9b/32.png) [@the\_art\_of\_rolling](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_art_of_rolling)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2022, 7:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-flashlight-camera-british/969159/8 "2022-08-07T07:58:43Z")
It might. My father born in Bristol, England in 1920 (and never lived anywhere else) referred to a “torch” as a “flashlight” until his death at the age of 91. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2022, 8:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-flashlight-camera-british/969159/9 "2022-08-07T08:12:19Z")
Perhaps you misheard him talking about his fleshlight. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2022, 8:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-flashlight-camera-british/969159/10 "2022-08-07T08:52:47Z")
Brain bleach! Where’d I put the brain bleach! ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2022, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-flashlight-camera-british/969159/11 "2022-08-09T13:59:16Z")
> [@mixdenny](#): > > While doing a search on carrots I came across the mention of Woolton Pie. This was a pie made of vegetables during WWII and named after the Minister of Food. I feel compelled to mention that tinned “bully beef” that was served to Royal Navy sailors in the late 19th century was referred to as “Fanny Adams”, after a young woman who was murdered and dismembered, supposedly near a canning plant. Not all of the body parts were found, so… ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2022, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-flashlight-camera-british/969159/12 "2022-08-09T16:23:25Z")
Going well of piste here, but my (94 year old) Dad uses ‘sweet **F** anny **A** dams’ when he wants to avoid using well known swear words for ‘nothing’. ---
**Author:** ![mixdenny](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mixdenny/32/2962_2.png) [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2022, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-flashlight-camera-british/969159/13 "2022-08-11T02:03:09Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > I feel compelled to mention that tinned “bully beef” that was served to Royal Navy sailors in the late 19th century was referred to as “Fanny Adams”, after a young woman who was murdered and dismembered, supposedly near a canning plant. Not all of the body parts were found, so… Singing, “Timothy…” ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2022, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-flashlight-camera-british/969159/14 "2022-08-11T17:57:24Z")
> [@Riemann](#): > > It’s probably also worth mentioning that indoor photography of anything but a completely still subject would pretty much _require_ flash in those days And a completely still camera operator – or tripod (or similar method of completely steadying the camera.) It’s not too hard for a subject to remain stationary for 1/8 of a second – at least not enough for it to be very noticeable on the exposure. On the camera side, though, a very minor movement will result in an obvious smudge of motion blur. (It should be reasonably easy to understand why if you’ve ever hand held binoculars or a telescope or tried to site a gun.) ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2022, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-flashlight-camera-british/969159/15 "2022-08-13T18:10:24Z")
Back in the daguerreotype and [ambrotype](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ambrotype) days even under full sunlight exposures were several seconds. Photographers in their studios had head clamps to help people stay still long enough and the reason for the grim expressions is because most folks had a hard time maintaining a natural-looking smile that long. ---
**Author:** ![kferr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/71e660/32.png) [@kferr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kferr)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2022, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-flashlight-camera-british/969159/16 "2022-08-16T17:49:18Z")
Wouldn’t the British version be a blowtorch?