English Field Camera
I was helping my parents move and came across a great old camera. I'm trying to find more info about it
Here is what I know so far...
It is a folding wooden 4x5 bellows field camera. Folded it measures 8 x 8 x 2 inches. It opens with a large brass tripod connector at the bottom. . Three separate tripod legs would attach to this recessed turntable. The bellows is lifted across to the front holder. The back has a frosted glass door that swings open to allow a glass plate to be placed at the back of the bellows. The back attaches using swinging brass clips and the glass has angle cut-outs. The bellows appear to be light tight and in very good shape. It has a burgundy colored leather strap at the top. All of the wood (cherry or oak?) is also in very good shape. When you remove the rear door, there is the number 161 stamped into the wood.
The white name plate below the lens holder has these three lines written in golden printing:
HAROLD MITCHELL & Co
PHOTO CHEMISTS
Forest Gate, E.
(I've located a town East of London by the name of Forest Gate.)
The lens holder has a detachable wooden & brass shutter box, most likely of the English Rollerblind style, , typical of those made by Thornton Pickard in the 1890s. The box has a spring loaded shutter arrangement that will roll a fabric across the inside of the box to expose the film. There is a section that is cut away to let the light in for the time requested as the fabric rolls across the lens opening. There is a number stamped into the brass plate at the top of the box, 3332. The shutter speed has numbers from 1B (bulb?) and then 20, 40, 60, 80, 100, 120, 140, 170. The canvas (?) is in need of repair.
The lens screws onto the wooded box with a brass screw fitting. The F stop has markings for 2 through 64 and the iris appears to work OK. The lens is just less than 2 inches across although the brass screw fitting is about 1.25 inches. It stands about 2.5 inches tall.
It came in a leather box that folds opens on the top and closes with a front clasp. There is a handle on the top and marking of a leather strap (missing) on the side. There is a black fabric covered compartment separator inside. One side for the camera and the other side for the shutter, lens, and room for film holders or plates.
The label is very likely the name of the business that sold the camera -- a very common practice in Europe. For example, the English company Fallowfield marketed cameras under their own name. Yet the Fallowfield Facile was actually made by Miall.
I'm guessing that this is late 1890 to 1902.
Any help or references would be appreciated.