Seneca Camera Company (Rochester, NY)
Kao Sr. Camera, early 1900s
| Another in a similar line of large and boring
glass-plate box cameras, the Kao Senior
('Senior' since it took 4 x 5 inch exposures as opposed to the 'Junior'
which took 3½ x 3½ inch exposures) had a simple lens, Time and
Instantaneous shutter, and fixed focus. A camera like this typically
cost $5 to $15 USD when new.
Seneca Camera was a competitor to Eastman Kodak in the early 1900s, producing a full line of cameras ranging from their 'Scout' line (Brownie camera look-alikes) to more sophisticated field cameras and outfits. The Kao Sr. is nearly identical to the Rochester Optical Company Cyclone Senior camera and Sears Roebuck Delmar camera. Click here to see an amateur photography manual published by the Seneca Camera Company in the early 1900s |
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