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Posted 9 months ago
rniederman
(98 items)
Collectors know that Robert H. Ingersoll is best known as a successful mass marketer that issued catalogues of $1 "specialties." One of his best-known and popular items was the "Yankee" watch introduced in 1892 with the Waterbury Clock Company. A couple fine examples are posted on CW. Their slogan was; "The Watch That Made The Dollar Famous."
Lesser known is that Ingersoll marketed a tiny, primitive box camera before 1900 called the Shure Shot Detective Camera. At the time it was advertised as; "The Cheapest Snapshot Camera In The World."
The Shure Shot is definitely an inexpensive camera that lives up to its billing. It's small, cheap, and has no viewfinder or other features. It's nothing more than a 3" x 3" x 3-7/8" polished wood box with a meniscus lens, simple spring shutter at one end and a removable back for 2½" x 2½" glass plates.
Not surprisingly, Ingersoll's small camera was advertised in 1897 for $1. The company also made a 3¾" x 3¾" model (refer to second image) and "Improved" black leather covered version.
Wood CamerasEven before the first 19th century cameras were produced, wood was used for…
Box CamerasBox cameras rely on the most basic form of photographic technology, utilizi…
I would have loved to try to work with small glass plates for negatives. This stuff you just never see anymore. Thanks for posting this Rob !
Thanks, BELLIN and Phil!
Phil ... what's interesting with the Ingersoll is that the plates were inserted directly into the rear of the camera. In other words, the camera had to be reloaded in a darkroom after each picture since it didn't use plateholders.
Thanks kerry10456, Belltown, officialfuel, Eric, and AR8Jason!
Thanks Hardbrake and walksoftly!
Thanks, petey!