L.F. Deardorff & Sons, Chicago, IL

 

5x7 V5? View Camera (1926-1937)

 

Unmarked Deardorff 5x7 View Camera

Bottom

 

Date Introduced: - ; Years Manufactured: c.1926 - c.1937
Construction: front and rear focus via rack and pinion (two gear tracks on top of base rails); double swing; reversing by removable back; three-piece lens board
Materials: mahogany wood body and platform; black leather bellows. brass hardware finished with gold paint, steel rear hinges, aluminum front standard.  The rectangular tripod socket is a later addition/replacement for the original tripod socket.
Sizes Offered: 5x7, 8x10
Notes:

     The L.F. Deardorff Co. and Deardorff & Sons were active c.1920 through the 1980's, producing wood and brass cameras of Deardorff's designs.  According to wikipedia, the first 5x7 cameras were produced c.1926.  In 1937, the hardware changed from gold-painted brass to nickel-plated brass.  Since this camera is a 5x7 size (although it has a 4x5 back), and has gold painted hardware, it therefore would have been made between 1926 and 1937.  This camera does not have a serial number.  According to Ken Hough, Deardorff expert,, serial numbers after 100 were made after 1949 and ended at 6503 in 1989. 

     It is also possible that this is a counterfeit Deardorff produced in India from about the same era.  However, this camera appears to be identical to three other pre-1938 examples for which images are available online, so it probably was made by Deardorff.

     Formerly, I kept a link to Ken Hough's Deardorff web site, deardorffcameras.0catch.com, which should have much Deardorff information,.  Unfortunately, this url is now causing a trojan virus warning on malwarebytes, so I will not visit the site.

References:
Deardorff Company History, Merle S. Deardorff; http://www.afterness.com/deardorff/deardorff_camera_history.html
Photographic Materials Mail Order Cash Catalog No. 132, George Murphy, Inc. (New York, NY), May 1932, p. 34
Photographic Materials Mail Order Cash Catalog No. 134, George Murphy, Inc. (New York, NY), May 1934, p. 34

 

 

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