American Optical Co. large format wooden bellows camera
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
Late 19th century (patents 1883, 1885)
This antique large format camera was produced by the American Optical Company of New York, under the proprietorship of Scovill Mfg. Co. The camera is constructed from wood and features brass hardware throughout.
It includes an extending bellows system and a ground-glass rear assembly. The piece is marked with two Flammang patents dated August 21, 1883, and October 20, 1885, along with the serial number 283589. The front panel features a maker's plaque identifying the American Optical Company and Scovill Mfg. Co. The camera is fitted with a brass lens manufactured by Hermagis Opt. Fabt. Paris, marked with the number 20598. The bellows are constructed from a flexible material and show significant age-related deterioration, including splits, tears, and losses, particularly along the edges and upper folds.
The brass lens housing exhibits surface wear, scratching, and spotting. The wooden body and various adjustment mechanisms display evidence of historical use and age-related wear, characteristic of late 19th-century large format photographic equipment.
Evidence at a glance
- Linked sources
- 1
- Photograph views
- 1
- Catalogue references
- 0
Counts describe this entry’s documentation, not authenticity, rarity or completeness. Photographs may show one specimen; check each caption and licence.
Physical characteristics
- Features
- Large extending bellows, ground-glass rear
- Material
- Wood, brass, bellows fabric
Technical characteristics
- Lens
- Hermagis Opt. Fabt. Paris, no. 20598
- Patents
- Flammang's PAT Oct. 20, 1885; Flammang's PAT Aug. 21, 1883
- Serial number
- 283589
Design
- Maker mark
- American Optical Company, New York, Scovill Mfg. Co. Proprietors
Identification
- Source note
- Described from a single auction-house listing published on Invaluable (reproduced with Invaluable's permission). Details apply to that one example; other examples of the type may differ, and the listing is supplementary evidence, not authentication.
- Maker named in listing
- American Optical Company
Catalogue references
No catalogue numbers recorded. Numbers are only published once transcribed from a verified edition of a standard catalogue — they are never inferred.