Rochester Optical Co.

Field View Cameras

W. H. Walker & Co., Rochester, NY, 1881-1883
Rochester Optical Co., Rochester, NY, 1883-1899
Rochester Camera Mfg. Co., Rochester, NY,  1891-1895
Rochester Camera Co., Rochester, NY, 1895-1897
Rochester Camera & Supply Co., Rochester, NY, 1897-1899
Rochester Optical & Camera Co., Rochester, NY, 1899-1903
Rochester Optical Co., Rochester, NY, 1903-1907
Rochester Optical Division, EKC, 1907-1917
Rochester Optical Department, EKC, 1918-1922

In 1899, the Western Camera Mfg. Co., Monroe & Gennert (the successor of the Monroe Camera Co., Rochester, NY; 1897-1899) and the G. Gennert Co., NY). the Ray Camera Co., Rochester, NY, Rochester Camera & Supply Co., Rochester, NY, and Rochester Optical Co. merged to form Rochester Optical & Camera.   A complete history of the Rochester companies can be found at http://www.nwmangum.com/Kodak/Rochester.html. 

The companies represented on this page were many, and are not in all cases serial re-organizations, as on other pages.  They all eventually merged into the Rochester Optical that was bought by EKC in 1907, however, and often their ties were close and their view cameras were similar.  Most extant view cameras were manufactured by Rochester Optical Co. (either one) or Rochester Camera Mfg. Co.   Companies such as Monroe and Ray specialized in leather-covered hand and stand cameras.

Scans of number of catalogs can be found here.  Scans of the Rochester Camera companies catalogs are here.

The American Camera (c. 1890)
American Challenge Swivel Bed Camera/Challenge Camera (c. 1881-1887)
American Challenge Wooden Bed Camera (c. 1883)
Carlton (c. 1893-1903)
Commodore Variation 1 (c. 1885-1886)
Commodore Variation 2 (c. 1888)
Cycle Poco Copying Camera (c. 1898-1899)
Empire State, Variation 1 (c. 1893-1897)
Empire State, Variation 2 (c. 1896-1902)
Empire State, Variation 3 (c. 1902-1915)
Empire State, Improved (c. 1902-1909+)
Excelsior (c. 1885-1887)
Favorite, Variation 1 (Rochester Camera Mfg. Co.) (c. 1896)
Favorite, Variation 2 (Rochester Camera Co.) (c. 1897)
Favorite, Variation 3 (Rochester Camera & Supply Co.) (c. 1897-1900)
Ideal, Variation 1 (c. 1885-1891)
Ideal, Variation 1.5 (c. 1890)
Ideal, Variation 2 (c. 1890-1897)
Katch (c. 1893-1894)
Kenwood (c. 1894-1899)
King (c. 1897-1903)
Midget Pocket Camera (c. 1890-1902)
Monitor (c. 1894-1901)
New Model, Variation 1 (c. 1885-1891)
 New Model, Variation 1.5 (c. 1885-1886)
 New Model, Variation 2 (c. 1886)
New Model, Variation 3 (c. 1890-1902)
New Model, Variation 4 (c. 1890's)
New Model, Improved, Variation 1: Thin Frame (c. 1885)
New Model, Improved, Variation 2: Thick Frame (1885 - c. 1899)
New Model Stereo (c. 1885-1899)
Omaha (probably King) (c. 1897)
Peerless (c. 1887-1894)
Premo View Camera (1905 - 1912)
Special (c. 1901-1902)
The Rochester View, Variation 1 (c. 1895-1901, Rochester Camera Mfg. Co. / Rochester Camera Co./ Rochester Camera & Supply Co.)
The Rochester View, Variation 2 (c. 1900-1901, Rochester Optical & Camera Co.)
The Rochester View, Variation 3 (c. 1902-1903, Rochester Optical & Camera Co.)
The Rochester View, Poco View Variation (c. 1904, Rochester Optical & Camera Co. made for the American Camera Mfg. Co.)
The Rochester View, Variation 4 (c. 1905-1918, Rochester Optical Co., Rochester Optical Div., EKC, Rochester Optical Dept., EKC)
The Standard View (c. 1890-1899)
Universal, Variation 1 (c. 1890-1892)
Universal, Variation 2 (c. 1893-1904)