American Optical / Scovill / Ansco Catalogs

Scovill and American Optical were early photographic companies.  Scovill purchased American Optical in 1867.  For much of the dry plate era, some cameras were marked and marketed as Scovill and others marked and marketed as American Optical.  Sometimes, remarkably similar models were produced by both Scovill and American Optical, and the catalogs were none too careful about the distinction.  Generally, American Optical cameras appear to be made of a better quality wood, and their wood and metal finished more carefully than Scovill cameras.

The catalogs listed below are specific to American Optical and Scovill.  All catalogs may be found here.

For each catalog, two facing pages are shown per image.  Catalogs are marked as (complete), meaning all pages were scanned or (the pages scanned).  Each image is about 1mb, so downloads can take considerable time for complete catalogs.  

1880 The Photographic Times, Vol. X, No. 115, Scovill Mfg. Co. (New York, NY), dated July 1880,  ~6½"x9½", pages 145-168 (complete)

1883 How to Make Photographs and Descriptive Price List, C.H. Codman &Co. (Boston, MA), copyright 1883 by Scovill Mfg. Co., ~6"x9", 48pp (complete)

1884 The Photographic Times, Vol. XIV, No. 158, Scovill Mfg. Co. (New York, NY), dated February 1884,  ~6½"x9¾", pages 55-108 & 48pp advertising (titles and ads)

1884 The Photographic Times, Vol. XIV, No. 171, New Series No. 51, Scovill Mfg. Co. (New York, NY), dated December 26, 1884,  ~6½"x9½", pages 695-720, 8pp intro & 44pp advertising (complete)

c.1885 The Photographic Amateur 2nd edition, J. Traill Taylor, Scovill Mfg. Co., publisher (New York, NY), copyright 1883, but actually about 1885 ~5¾"x9", 104pp & 30pp advertising (102-104, a1-a30)

1886 How to Make Photographs and Descriptive Price List, Scovill Mfg. Co, publisher (New York, NY), copyright 1886, ~5¾"x9", 96pp (complete)

1886 Scovill's Photo. Series. No. 20, Dry Plate Making for Amateurs, George L. Sinclair, Scovill Mfg. Co. (New York, NY), copyright 1886, ~5½"x8½", book section: 28pp; catalog section 30pp (complete)

c.1886 Scovill's Photo. Series. No. 12 A Manual of Photographic Chemistry, Rev. T. Frederick Hardwich, M.A., Scovill Mfg. Co. (New York, NY), copyright 1886, ~5¾"x8¾", book section: 384pp; catalog section 38pp (catalog section only - a8-a39)

1887 How to Make Pictures, 4th edition, Scovill Mfg. Co, publisher (New York, NY), dated 1887 (copyright 1886), ~5¾"x9", 104pp & 40pp catalog (104, a01-a40)

1887 How to Make Photographs and Descriptive Price List, Scovill Mfg. Co (New York, NY), distributed by C.H. Codman & Co. (Boston, MA), dated April 1887, ~6"x9", 104pp (1-60)

1887 Scovill's Photo. Series. No. 22, Photographic Printing Methods, Rev. W. H. Burbank, Scovill Mfg. Co. (New York, NY), copyright 1887, ~6"x9", book section: 221pp; advertising section 21pp (covers; titles; table of contents; ads)

1888 How to Make Photographs and Descriptive Price List, Scovill Mfg. Co. (New York, NY), distributed by Avery & Perkins, Grand Rapids, MI, undated but about January 1888, ~5¾"x9¼", 121pp (22-51)

1888 How to Make Photographs and Descriptive Price List, Scovill Mfg. Co. (New York, NY), distributed by C.H. Codman & Co. (Boston, MA), dated September 1888, ~5¾"x9¼", 121pp (1-63; 116-121)

1888 Scovill's Photo. Series. No. 25, The Photographic Negative, Rev. W. H. Burbank, Scovill Mfg. Co. (New York, NY), copyright 1888, ~6"x9", book section: 198pp; catalog section 19pp (covers; titles; table of contents; ads ai-axix)

1888 Scovill's Photo. Series. No. 26, The Photographic Instructor, Prof. Charles Ehrmann, Scovill Mfg. Co. (New York, NY), copyright 1888, ~6"x9", book section: 196pp; catalog section 32pp (covers; titles; table of contents; ads)

1889 How to Make Photographs and Descriptive Price List, The Scovill & Adams Co. (New York, NY), dated January 1889, ~6"x9", 124pp (1-61)

1890 The American Annual of Photography and Photographic Times Almanac for 1897, The Scovill & Adams Co. (New York, NY), copyright 1889, ~6"x9", 17pp ads front; 338pp & 116pp ads back (title, index & ads)

1890 Scovill's Photo. Series. No. 32, Practical Photomicrography, Rev. Andrew Pringle, Scovill Mfg. Co. (New York, NY), copyright 1890, ~6"x9", book section: 194pp; preface: 9pp; index: 9pp; ads: 19pp (complete)

1891 How to Make Photographs and Descriptive Price List, The Scovill & Adams Co. (New York, NY), distributed by Horgan, Robey & Co. (Boston, MA), dated June 1891, ~6"x9", 24pp (complete)

c.1891 Photographic Advice, The Scovill & Adams Co. (New York, NY), undated c. 1891, ~7½"x5½", 84pp (complete)

1892 The American Annual of Photography and Photographic Times Almanac for 1892, The Scovill & Adams Co. (New York, NY), copyright 1891, ~6"x9", 363pp & 141pp ads  (title, index & ads)

1892 How to Make Photographs and Descriptive Price List, The Scovill & Adams Co. (New York, NY), dated January 1892, ~5¾"x9", 139pp & 14pp introduction & 7pp index (1-41; index)

1893 The American Annual of Photography and Photographic Times Almanac for 1893, The Scovill & Adams Co. (New York, NY), copyright 1892, ~6"x9", 393pp & 167pp ads  (title, index & ads)

1894 The American Annual of Photography and Photographic Times Almanac for 1894, The Scovill & Adams Co. (New York, NY), copyright 1893, ~5¾"x8¾", 417pp & 140pp ads  (title, index & ads)

1895 The American Annual of Photography and Photographic Times Almanac for 1895, The Scovill & Adams Co. (New York, NY), copyright 1894, ~6"x9", 438pp & 94pp ads  (title, index & ads)

1896 How to Make Photographs and a Descriptive Catalogue of Photographic Materials Illustrated, The Scovill & Adams Co. (New York, NY), dated 1896, ~5¾"x9", 156pp (1-93; 146-156)

1897 The American Annual of Photography and Photographic Times Almanac for 1897, The Scovill & Adams Co. (New York, NY), copyright 1896, ~6"x9", 370pp & 130pp ads (title, index 1-9 & ads 1-130)

1899 The American Annual of Photography and Photographic Times Almanac for 1899, The Scovill & Adams Co. (New York, NY), copyright 1898, ~6"x9", 370pp & 125pp ads (title, index 1-10 & ads 1-125)

1900 The American Annual of Photography and Photographic Times Almanac for 1900, The Scovill & Adams Co. (New York, NY), copyright 1899, ~6"x9", 370pp & 116pp ads (title, index 1-10 & ads 1-116)

1901 The American Annual of Photography and Photographic Times Almanac for 1901, The Scovill & Adams Co. (New York, NY), copyright 1900, ~5¾"x8¾", 345pp & 81pp ads (title, index 1-10 & ads 1-81)

1902 The American Annual of Photography and Photographic Times Almanac for 1902, The Scovill & Adams Co. (New York, NY), copyright 1902, ~6"x9", 347pp & 74pp ads (pages 1-9 & ads 0-74)

1903 The American Annual of Photography and Photographic Times-Bulletin Almanac for 1903, The Anthony & Scovill Co. (New York, NY), copyright 1903, ~6"x9", 345pp & 88pp ads (covers, pages 1-9 & complete ads)

1910 Ansco, Ansco Co. (Binghamton, NY), dated 1910, ~5½"x7¾", 62pp (complete)

1911 The American Annual of Photography 1911, Volume 25, The American Annual of Photography, Inc. (New York, NY), general sales agents George Murphy, Inc. (New York, NY), copyright 1910, ~5¾"x8¾", 328pp & 60pp ads (covers, pages 1-7 & complete ads)

1914 Ansco 1914-15, Ansco Co. (Binghamton, NY), dated 1914, ~5½"x7¾", 56pp (complete)

1915 Ansco 1915-16, Ansco Co. (Binghamton, NY), dated 1915, ~5½"x7¾", 64pp (complete)

1917 The American Annual of Photography 1917, Volume 31, The American Annual of Photography, Inc. (New York, NY), general sales agents George Murphy, Inc. (New York, NY), copyright 1916, ~5¾"x8¾", 296pp & 41pp ads (covers, pages 1-7 & complete ads)

1926 Ansco Cameras, Photographic Equipment, Ansco Photoproducts, Inc. (Binghamton, NY), dated July 1, 1926, ~6"x9", 32pp (complete)

c.1930 Agfa Ansco Photographic Materials and Professional Equipment, Agfa Ansco Corporation (Binghamton, NY), undated c. 1930, ~5½"x7¾", 48pp (complete)

1931 The American Annual of Photography 1917, Volume XLV, The American Annual of Photography, Inc. (New York, NY), copyright 1930, ~5¾"x8¾", 292pp & 64pp ads (covers, pages 1-3 & complete ads)

1938 Photographic Materials for Professional Use, Catalog 56P, Agfa Ansco Corporation (Binghamton, NY), dated August 15, 1938, ~6½"x8½", 48pp (complete)