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Antique wood camera

Posted: Mon Sep 18, 2017 6:46 am
by topfine
Please advice about the following antique wood camera.
Specification:
Wood folding camera with brass lens
Plate 9x12
Brass lens: Rectiligne Rapide
Manufacture: France, Saint Etienne
Year of production: 1880-1890 ?
Includes one plate
Two sprit level indicators:top and aside the box
Glass is clear. no scratch
Bellows are in good condition
Brass lens: clear and without scratch
Wooden box, reasonable maintained but includes some woodworm tracks

Who knows more details of this camera?
What would would be a reasonable price indication?

Kind regards,
Toon Sanders

Re: Antique wood camera

Posted: Sat Sep 30, 2017 5:23 am
by topfine
I've neither tested the camera, nor do I have any photographs made with this camera. There is very little to test, as there's no aperture and no shutter. That's normal for a camera like this. It appears to be a handmade product. I've no idea how many similar cameras like this have been made, but I assume it's really unique.

Re: Antique wood camera

Posted: Sun Oct 01, 2017 3:45 am
by topfine
One correction regarding the information I've provided: the Rectiligne lens does have aperture.

Re: Antique wood camera

Posted: Thu Dec 07, 2017 1:59 am
by Daniel C
In France, Saint Etienne is a town were a company named "Manufacture des Armes et Cycles de St Etienne" also known as "Manufrance" took place and manufactured or distributed a lot of different things as tools, guns, bicycles, cameras.

A visit in this amazing collection of catalogue pages with its dedicated search engine available on line allowed me to find this page that shows a possible variation of your French old gear

http://www.collection-appareils.fr/gestion_catalogue/html/affichage_une_page?chemin_image=http://www.collection-appareils.fr/gestion_catalogue/images/1326202381.jpg&id_catalogue=12775&nom=Manufrance&annee=1909&page=469

Re: Antique wood camera

Posted: Thu Dec 07, 2017 3:45 am
by topfine
Hi Daniel, Thanks very much for your reply. Quite interesting. There are almost no resources to investigate the origine of the wooden folding camera. At least this one that I did not know.