The recent discovery of a historic reprographic camera in Dunedin is developing an image of the city's past.
The camera was discovered when heritage developer Lawrie Forbes began redeveloping the former John Colours Ltd building in Crawford St.
It will be disassembled and put on display in a nearby shopfront, something one of its former operators described as ''a great thing''.
The lights the camera used are set to be turned into Steampunk art.
The 19th-century building is being redeveloped for use by government agency WorkSafe, which agreed recently to be the anchor tenant.
It is unclear how old the machine is, however two tags on it show it was a Lithotex brand from the Pictorial Machinery Ltd of London, distributed by John Dickinson & Co of New Zealand.
Pictorial Machinery is listed as having been incorporated in 1919, and John Dickinson opened its first branch in New Zealand in 1920.
Former John Colours worker Lindsay Baird said he used to occasionally operate the machine.
The Mosgiel man, who did his apprenticeship there from 1969, and worked at the business for 36 years, said he was unsure of the camera's age, but it was ''pretty old when we got it''.
It had come to John Colours from Argent Packaging in Vogel St in the early 1970s, Mr Baird said.
''It was a mission getting it into the building, that's why it's still there.''
The camera was able to reduce copy ''in one shot''.
Its downside was the light source, a carbon arc lamp which was ''no-no now with health and safety''.
''It was a damn good camera at the time.''
Mr Baird said it was probably still operational.
''In those days a lot of the artwork was created by a guy and a sign-writing brush.
''He'd paint the image, or a client might bring art work into us of that size, and want it reduced down for the purpose we'd use it for.''
On the move of the camera to public display, he said: ''I reckon it's a great thing.
''There wouldn't be many of those sort of cameras around now.
''That's a real antique.''
Sean Toomey of John Colours, which operates from a different site after moving from Crawford St more than a decade ago, said the camera did a lot of work for businesses that no longer existed.
''It's tied up with the history of a lot of firms that were in Dunedin, but are no longer here.
''They move away and the requirement for that sort of work moves away, and the technology changes how you produce these things, and now it's all done digitally.''
Mr Forbes said the camera would be disassembled, and the main part moved to the next door Dutybound bookbindery for display.
