Rochester Optical Co., Rochester, NY
New Model Improved
Variation 1
(Thin Frame)
Illustrated Catalogue of Photographic Apparatus,
R.O.C./C.H. Codman Optical Catalog, 1886, p. 8
5x8
Stamp on top of the carrying case.
Another 5x8 Stamp - inside of the top
of the wooden case - photographic supply house from which the case was
sold Stamp - inside of the top
of the wooden case - original owner's stamp (J.H. Masholder) Plate Holders Edge of Plate Holders
Date Introduced: 1885 ;
Years Manufactured: 1885-c.1889 New Model Improved vs. New
Model: There are at least three
variations known of the New Model Improved:
New Model Improved Variation 1:
New Model Improved Variation 1.5:
New Model Improved Variation 2: References: Comparison of
Variation 1 (left) to
Variation 2 (right), enlargement
normalized so their ground glass is the same size
Back to Rochester Optical Group of Manufacturers
Label - upper front standard
Construction: back focus
via rack and pinion (two gear tracks on top of base rails);
single or double swing; three-piece lens
board; non-reversing
Materials: Honduras mahogany body; cherry
bed; red leatherette
bellows; brass or nickeled
brass hardware; varnish
wood finish
Sizes Offered: 3¼x4¼; 4x5; 4¼x6½; 5x7; 5x8;
6½-8½; 8x10
Notes:
The New Model Improved is a New
Model, but with rack and pinion focusing rather than push-pull.
The two models were produced simultaneously over a long period of time,
and each had a number of variations, not all of which are illustrated in
catalogs.
Variation 1 has a very thin
wood frame around its ground glass. Therefore, for any given plate
size, Variation 1 is a smaller camera than either the
Variation 1.5 or Variation 2.
Variation 1.5
has the thicker frame
around its ground glass. It has the cam-type releases for the
ground glass frame, seen in other models, most commonly The Ideal, e.g.
The Ideal
Variation 1.
Variation 2
continues the thicker
frame around the ground glass, but goes back to the simple center clip
for the ground glass frame. The cams were would seem to have been
more expensive to make than could be continued for this very low cost
camera.
American Journal of Photography, March, 1885, p. 9
Catalog P, Photographic Material, J. W.
Queen & Co. (Philadelphia, PA), 1886, p. 50
Illustrated Catalogue of Photographic Apparatus,
Rochester Optical Co. (Rochester, NY),
distributed by C.H. Codman (Boston, MA), 1886,
p. 9
An
Illustrated Catalogue of Photographic Cameras, Lenses and Other
Apparatus and Materials for Photography, W.H. Walmsley & Co.
(Philadelphia, PA), April 1, 1888, pp.8-9
Photographic Materials 1889, James
W. Queen & Co. (Philadelphia, PA), 1889, p. 52
