8x10 Vidi View

The Sunart Photo Co. Vidi View Camera was also sold as the Century Camera Co. Century View Camera (Variation 1.5), as below.
6 ½ x 8 ½

Label, lower front standard.  The arrows indicate the four holes (filled) made by brads that had previously held a different label.

A label from a Sunart Vidi View Camera.  The position of the brads is consistent with it being the label formerly installed in the Century View above.

Another Sunart Photo Co. Vidi View Camera sold as the Century Camera Co. Century View Camera (Variation 1.5):
6 ½ x 8 ½

Bottom

Top

Label, lower front standard.  This installation does not have the four holes that the other Century-labeled Vidi above has.

Plate Holder from the above "Century" camera.

Patent Date stamp: "Pat. 4-23-07"

Date Introduced: - ; Years Manufactured: c. 1900
Construction: back focus via push-pull; double swing; reversing by removable back; 
Materials:  mahogany body, cherry base, brass hardware, black fabric bellows
Sizes Offered: 6 ½x8 ½; 8x10
Notes:

The Sunart Photo Co., of Rochester, NY, was founded in 1893.  They made folding and magazine cameras, and two view cameras: The Vici View and The Vidi View.  In 1899, their assets were obtained, and a new company, the Seneca Camera Manufacturing Co., was founded in 1900.  Seneca established itself as one of the most popular cameras of the early 20th century.  The Vici View continued with little alteration as the Seneca View, and later, the Improved Seneca View.  Likewise, the Vidi View continued with little alteration as Seneca's Competitor View.

The camera illustrated above is a Vidi with Sunart label.

This camera is advertised in the 1901 Jas. H. Smith & Co. catalog as the Columbian View.  Chicago (the location of Jas. H. Smith & Co.) hosted the Columbian Exposition in 1893.  It is not much of a stretch to imagine that Smith derived their name for this camera from that expo. 

The first example camera above is a Vidi with Vidi label.

The second example camera above is an indentical Vidi design camera, but has an apparently genuine Century Camera Co. Century label, and even sports a CCC (Century Camera Co.) shutter.  The Century label appears to have been applied after a Vidi label had been removed.  The reason for the Century label and shutter is unknown - Century camera usually have different design and hardware.

The third exampe camera also has a Century label (the first label installed in this case).  The original lens board and any shutter installed on it were not present when the camera was purchased.

References:
Catalogue of Photographic Sundries, Jas. H. Smith & Co. (Chicago) Catalog 1901, p. 19 (illustrated engraving)

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