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. Tim Page was sent the bag and it is in his possession, soon to be re-united with the camera. 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. This was a major discovery, that we actually have a record of the camera and images taken with the camera. 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. 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”. Tim has been instrumental in helping piece together the history of this camera for us. Sean Flynn with Tim Page by Mike Herr Dong Tam 1968 You can see the memories and the marks on the camera, and you can attribute them to someone, which is amazing. There is dust too, but I would not dare wipe it away.
But it also has grime, grime that could well have come from Sean Flynn handling the camera. The camera has a beautiful patina, from heavy usage. To me that makes this camera really special. This mean that the last person to use the camera was in all likelihood Sean Flynn. But recently the family finally decided that a new home should be found for it, which is when they found me. This camera has been tucked away in a dark corner for more than 30 years. How do we know this? Because the camera has been doing nothing, absolutely nothing. One of the reasons 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. 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 pieces that did go back was this camera though. 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. Sean Flynn in Papua New Guinea by David Greenway Sean Flynn was declared legally dead in 1984. Flynn’s mother spent her life and fortune trying to find a trace of her son, but sadly it was to no avail. 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. In 1970 he was kidnapped in Cambodia whilst on the way to an assignment with fellow photojournalist Dana Stone and was never to be seen again. Many of his images would be considered to be the raw view of an especially brutal war.įlynn even parachuted into war zones with the unit he was embedded with, working side by side with the soldier to capture extremely compelling images.
Flynn worked closely with special units in Vietnam and Cambodia, capturing incredible images of the war. Sean Flynn was the only child of the famed actor Errol Flynn & Lili Damita and was well known for his work as a photojournalist covering the Vietnam war. One of my clients has a particular taste for cameras with a history and this was the camera for him.īut first we should go back and talk a little bit about Sean Flynn.
As soon as I was told about the history of the camera I knew exactly who would want it. I was offered this camera earlier this year by a representative of the Flynn family. But through a bit of digging and a lot of luck the history of this camera has revealed itself. But this camera is different, it has a well documented history that was thought to have been lost. The vast majority of the cameras I see have no record, you literally have no idea where they have been. 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 the story of the Sean Flynn Leica M2. One that was thought to be lost but has been found again. But it is not all that often that one has such a rich and documented history. This is a story about a camera, a rather special camera.
Camera Historica: The Sean Flynn Leica M2
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