G. Gennert, Rochester, New York, NY

  

Prize View Camera

 

Descriptive Catalogue of Photographic Apparatus and Supplies, G. Gennert (New York, NY), c. 1893, p. 24-25

 

5 x 8 (Single Swing)


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Bottom
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Metal etched (not engraved) label on front

Stamp on back top

6 ½ x 8 ½ (Double Swing)


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Bottom.  Note the two thumbscrews on the rear standard that control the second swing)
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Label, brass, bottom of front standard

Stamp, top of ground glass frame: "Pat. May 7, 1889" (this probably refers to Erastus Barker's patent No. 402711 for a camera having a spring back)

Stamp, inside bottom of rear standard, serial number "23" (double stamped?)

 

Date Introduced:  ; Years Manufactured: c.1893 - c.1894
Construction: front focus via rack and pinion (two gear tracks on top of base rails), double swing, reversible by removable back
Materials:  mahogany body, cherry base, machine finished brass hardware, black fabric bellows, French polish shellac finish.
Sizes Offered: 5x8, 6 ½x8 ½
Notes: similar to the Gennert Brighton Camera, but this camera is front focus only, whereas the Brighton is front and rear focus.   The hardware clips for the back are strikingly similar to Scovill's.  The finish on this camera is extremely well done.  The ground glass is held in place by wooden moldings, usually a sign of an early model or of an expensive model.  The tapering rear body of the camera is similar to the Blair Unknown #2.  The reasoning behind the folding front section of track is probably only to allow the use of extreme wide angle lenses, since it wouldn't decrease the height of the camera, nor would it allow the lens to remain in place during storage (two common reasons for folding the front section). A number of these have been offered on eBay, so they are not as rare as some of the other Gennert cameras.  The Prize Camera (1893) came with "extra front board, double book plate holder, carrying case and strap".  The strap implies that the carrying case was canvas, as the wooden ones are sufficiently held closed by a brass hook or other fastener.

References:
Descriptive Catalogue of Photographic Apparatus and Supplies, G. Gennert (New York, NY), c. 1893, p. 24-25
Wilson's Cyclopaedic Photography, Edward L. Wilson (New York, NY), copyright 1894, p. 497

 

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