Western Camera Manufacturing Company
Pocket Zar camera, 1898
| The Pocket Zar is another simple camera for 2 x
2 inch plates, marketed to children in the same vein as the Vive
Souvenir and Ingersoll Shure Shot
cameras. The first (No. 1) Brownie camera
was extremely similar in design and lightweight cardstock exterior, but it
took rollfilm instead of glass plates.
The manufacturer of the Pocket Zar, Western Camera Mfg., was only in business for a short time (1898) before merging with four other companies to become the Rochester Optical Company in 1899. The Pocket Zar was not carried over following the merger, although Western Camera's successful 'Cyclone' and 'Magazine Cyclone' cameras were.
When found today, the Pocket Zar is often in poor condition since it was of extremely fragile construction. |
