Squire & Co Carte D'Visite Petzval

[IanG]

Last year I was given a large collection of lantern slides as well as a 1930s Ensign projector with 2 lenses The original owner Fred Pilditch had been Secretary of Aston Natural History and Photographic Society n 1898. Aston is now a suburb of Birmingham. All the lantern slides appear to be from around 1900, there is only one with a car, and there's a Royal Mail stage coach in one image.

I was surprised to see a brass lens attached to the projector. On close inspection it turned out to be a Petzval made between 1862 & 67 by Squire & Co, also marked as Sheperd Maker. Sheperd was an optician who began making lenses and cameras. These were sliding box wet plate cameras. Dry plates were not used until 1871. Squire and Co took over the manufacturer in 1862.

The original pinion has been lost, oddly the Waterhouse stops had a tab that folded so the lens barrel was focused with the stop in place, which is odd. I turned the lens to show the slot etc. it was mounted on my 10x8 Agfa Ansco, however it won't focus with a reducing back,

Instead I have mounted if on my wide angle pre-Anniversary Speed Graphic.

Now to make some Waterhouse stops, the lens is 6" and f4.5 with no stop, and well corrected for a Petzval.

Ian

 

[webestang64]

Cool lens. Interesting history.