© 2024 Connecticut Public

FCC Public Inspection Files:
WEDH · WEDN · WEDW · WEDY
WECS · WEDW-FM · WNPR · WPKT · WRLI-FM · WVOF
Public Files Contact · ATSC 3.0 FAQ
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Spy Cameras, Portraits Offered in Collector's Sale

Over the course of 50 years, Jack Naylor has amassed the world's largest private collection of cameras and photographs -- more than 30,000 items in all.

From spy cameras to works by famed Civil War photographer Matthew Brady, Naylor's collection is a comprehensive material history of photography. The self-made millionaire, who built his fortune by inventing an automotive thermostat in the 1960s, houses the massive collection in a climate-controlled basement museum at his home in Massachusetts.

The museum has been open, by appointment, to the public. Now all of it can be yours, for just $20 million -- and Naylor's approval. Why sell? Naylor says his family is not interested in the collection. He wants a buyer who can preserve it as a whole and keep it accessible.

Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Andrea Shea

Stand up for civility

This news story is funded in large part by Connecticut Public’s Members — listeners, viewers, and readers like you who value fact-based journalism and trustworthy information.

We hope their support inspires you to donate so that we can continue telling stories that inform, educate, and inspire you and your neighbors. As a community-supported public media service, Connecticut Public has relied on donor support for more than 50 years.

Your donation today will allow us to continue this work on your behalf. Give today at any amount and join the 50,000 members who are building a better—and more civil—Connecticut to live, work, and play.