Scovill & Adams
Scovill Antique Oak Detective Camera, 1890
| Sometimes we collectors acquire pieces that aren't exactly
perfect. The oak detective camera seen here is a good example. It is
missing some wood, some metal parts, and a few other bits and pieces,
and its shutter is something of a rat's nest. In addition, the wooden
exterior has more than its fair share of scratches, bumps, and
blemishes.
However, this is a very rare camera, in any condition, and should be able to be restored to a more glorious state with some effort. The Scovill Antique Oak Detective Camera was offered in 1890 as a lower-priced alternative to the Waterbury Detective Camera. Similar to Eastman's Ordinary line of the early 1890s, the camera was lower-priced because it had a wooden exterior, as opposed to the more expensive (and more expensive looking) leather covering that more and more cameras sported at this time. The camera takes 4 x 5 inch plates on double plateholders, and features either ground glass or scale focusing. A single-speed shutter rounds out the basic package - for time exposures, some form of lens cap would have been required - a feature that was not offered until the Improved Waterbury Detective of 1892 which had its own lens cap permanently attached to the front of the camera. |
|
Antique Oak Detective with the hinged front panel open, showing
string-set shutter and lens assembly
Rear of camera with doors open to access the ground glass and plateholder
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