E. & H.T. Anthony & Co.
Eureka School Outfit
The Youth's Companion Magazine Companion
Camera No. 1
Perry Mason Co. Companion Camera
Illustrated Catalogue of Photographic Equipments and Materials for
Amateurs, E. & H.T. Anthony & Co. (New York, NY), December, 1895, p.
6
The Youth's Companion Magazine Premium Catalog, 1892, p. 566
A 4 x 5"
Greenpoint Optical Co. (a subsidiary of E. & H.T. Anthony & Co.)
Eureka School Outfit that, judging from the pamphlet of
instructions, was probably sold as
The Companion Camera by Perry Mason & Co., Boston, MA.
Stamps on the tail of the platform; all are upright when read from a
viewpoint on the right.:
Serial numbers "26" written in pencil and stamped on the bottom of the
front standard box (right) and the rear standard box (left).
Another example of a Eureka Outfit. This one is marked
neither Anthony nor Greenpoint, but is only marked with a serial number
(132) and two patents.
Bottom, with serial numbers on the front and rear standards. Top
Stamps on the tail of the platform:
Plate Holder An opened box of Seeds
dry plates that feels full or nearly full.
Another example, 4x5",
but only the camera.
The bellows appear to be textured paper coated with red paint, unlike
the first example, made from black fabric. This camera has the
same patent stamps as the first example visible on the rear part of its
platform:
"Pat. Nov. 11, '84" (patent clamp hooks, even though this camera has
none) and "Pat. May 18, 1886" (side mounted screw for swing),
but it does not have the Greenpoint Optical Co. logo, neither does it
have an Anthony label or stamp
Date Introduced: - ;
Years Manufactured: c1889-1901 Example 1 above is stamped GOC (Greenpoint Optical Co., Long Island, NY, owned
by Anthony) and also bears two Anthony patent stamps. The
manufacturer of example 2 is not marked, although it bears the same two
patent stamps as Example 1. This model is a very
inexpensive camera marketed to children (hence the word School
in the name). The outfit includes camera with a single achromat
lens already mounted, a plateholder, dry plates, developing and printing chemicals,
a glass measuring glass, two trays, printing paper, mounting cards, and
a darkcloth in a wooden case, in other words everything needed to
produce prints without buying anything else. It may have been made
in the Greenpoint Optical Co. factory in Queens, NY rather than
Anthony's New York City factory - Example 1 above is stamped with a GOC
logo. The Eureka School Outfit is
identical to the Companion Camera No
1 sold or given away as a premium in connection with the
Youth's Companion magazine, also identical to the Perry Mason & Co., Boston,
MA Companion Camera. Both of these were probably made by
Greenpoint Optical Co. in that they bear the Anthony patent stamps if
not the GOC logo. Additionally the three engravings used
in literature for Anthony's Eureka School Outfit, the
Youth's Companion Camera No. 1, and the Perry Mason & Co.
Companion Camera are the same engraving, including a plate holder
that is clearly
Anthony's Patent Detective Double Dry Plate Holder (see
Anthony Catalog, Dec. 1895, p.39). Presumably, the
engraving originated with Anthony or Greenpoint. References:
Anthony catalogs sold this camera as
the Eureka School Outfit
Youth's Companion gave away the
Anthony Eureka Outfit as a premium for
selling magazines and called it the Companion No. 1. Companion No. 2
was a 4¼x6¼" Anthony
Victor, and Companion No. 3
was a 5x8" Anthony Victor)
Perry Mason & Co., Boston, MA also sold the Eureka Outfit as
the Companion Camera.
The bellows of this example are made from black-coated fabric.
Top: Two patents: "Pat. Nov. 11, '84" (patent clamp hooks, even though
this camera has none) and "Pat. May 18, 1886" (side mounted screw for
swing; again, this camera does not have it, so it is puzzling why these
stamps were used).
Bottom: a large "GOCo.", the logo of Greenpoint Optical Co.
Also, the serial number "26" is written in pencil within the logo and
read from the left.
This outfit retains the plate holder, a box of plates, a few ferro
prussiate printing papers, and a contact printer.
"Pat. Feb. 20, '83" and "Pat. May 18, 1886".
Construction: rear
focus via push-pull; no swing; non-reversing;
no (fixed) lens board
Materials: mahogany body; solid &
non-folding cherry base; red paper bellows; brass hardware
Sizes Offered: 4x5
Notes:
How to Make Photographs with the Anthony Camera, Perry Mason &
Co. (Boston, MA), undated c.1890, cover and inside front cover
Illustrated Catalogue of Photographic Equipments
and Materials for Amateurs, E. & H.T. Anthony & Co. (New York, NY),
January 1890, p. 1
Illustrated Catalogue of Photographic Equipments
and Materials for Amateurs, E. & H.T. Anthony & Co. (New York, NY),
January 1891, p. 1
Youth's Companion Premium Catalog, 1892, p. 566 (the 4x5
Eureka Camera as Companion No. 1; Companion No. 2 is a 4¼x6¼
Anthony Victor; Companion No. 3 is a 5x8 Anthony Victor)
Descriptive Catalogue and Price List of Photographic Apparatus,
E. & H.T. Anthony & Co. (New York, NY), November 1893, p.49
Illustrated Catalogue of Photographic Equipments and Materials for
Amateurs, E. & H.T. Anthony & Co. (New York, NY), September, 1894,
p. 6-7
Illustrated Catalogue of Photographic Equipments and Materials for
Amateurs, E. & H.T. Anthony & Co. (New York, NY),
August 1895, p. 6-7
Illustrated Catalogue of Photographic Equipments and Materials for
Amateurs, E. & H.T. Anthony & Co. (New York, NY), December, 1895, p.
6-7
Illustrated Catalogue of Photographic Equipments and Materials for
Amateurs, E. & H.T. Anthony & Co. (New York, NY), August, 1896, p.
6-7
Illustrated Catalogue of Photographic Materials,
Thos. H. McCollin & Co. (Philadelphia, PA)
undated, c. 1897, p. 49
Illustrated Catalogue of Photographic Equipments
and Materials for Amateurs, E. & H.T. Anthony & Co. (New York, NY),
February 1898, p. 6-7
Illustrated Catalogue of Photographic Equipments
and Materials for Amateurs, E. & H.T. Anthony & Co. (New York, NY),
November 1898, p. 6-7
Illustrated Catalogue of Photographic Equipments
and Materials for Amateurs, E. & H.T. Anthony & Co. (New York, NY),
August, 1899, p. 27
Illustrated Catalogue of Photographic Equipments and Materials for
Amateurs, The Anthony & Scovill Co. (New York, NY), June, 1901, p.
28
