19-Year-Old Student Hides Spy Camera In His Clothing To Take Secret Street Photos In The 1890s (100 Pics)

Carl Stormer (1872-1957), a then 19-year-old student, enjoyed photography during the 1890s, and decided to stroll around Oslo, Norway with a spy camera of sorts to and secretly capture candid photos of people. He received his C.P. Stirn Concealed Vest Spy Camera in 1893 while studying mathematics at the Royal Frederick University - currently the University of Oslo. "It was a round flat canister hidden under the vest with the lens sticking out through a buttonhole. Under my clothes I had a string down through a hole in my trouser pocket, and when I pulled the string the camera took a photo," said Stromer.