# My wife's new camera



## IanG (Apr 24, 2014)

Well she chose it but I paid for it 

A rare Alliance Roll-film Camera Co Ltd 110 camera, at least 110 years old.  There others on-lone but quite different - one is in the Kodak Collection at Bradford (UK)












The Alliance Roll-film Camera Co Ltd was linked to Houghtons in the UK and was wound up in 1904. I'm beginning to think it may have been a joint venture between Houghtons (who made the film) and Holmes Bros (who made Sanderson Camera).

In any case the camera was made between 1898 when the film size was introduced and 1904 when the company ceased trading. 110 film was 5"x4" roll film 

The Beck lens and shuuter are in superb condition, the shutter is amazingly smooth and accurate.  I hope to trial the camera with some film - I've some 8" aerial film I can slit and I'm in the planning stage on backing paper but fully confident I'll get my 6 exposure rolls sorted 

Ian


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## dxqcanada (Apr 24, 2014)

Hmm, bellows look in great shape.


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## Msteelio91 (Apr 24, 2014)

Love it!


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## robbins.photo (Apr 24, 2014)

So you ordered it and it took 110 years to get delivered?  Wow.. and I thought our post office was bad.. lol.


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## terri (Apr 24, 2014)

Aren't these old designs beautiful?       I have a couple of them, but they are no longer functional.   If yours can give you passable images, that would be amazing!   There are so many things that degrade these guys over time.   The bellows were probably custom fit fairly recently, so if you're saying the movements are still smooth, and these bellows aren't pockmarked, you might get something.   

Be sure to post here for us to see!


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## Derrel (Apr 24, 2014)

Yeah...WOW!!! What a honey!!! It looks pretty sharp with that red bellows. Something makes me think terri is right, that the bellows is "newish".


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## IanG (Apr 25, 2014)

The bellows are original, they are similar to the red bellows on other Alliance Roll-film Camera Co cameras and also Sanderson cameras, made by Holmes Bros who merged with Houghtons in 1904 the same year the Alliance Roll film camera Co was wound up. The lens and shutter are in similar like new condition.

Some early  Ensign cameras (Houghton) also used similar red bellows and are virtually identical to the Alliance cameras.  These Alliance cameras seem quite rare, I've only found images of 3 others all different models.

Ian


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## vintagesnaps (Apr 25, 2014)

That's a beauty. I have something similar, a generic Kodak whatever, and a Nagel that I haven't yet run film thru. To me the corners of the bellows of this one show some typical wear from usage for older cameras. 

I have a camera that's about 100 years old, a 'pocket' Kodak camera that's bigger than a brick! It has black bellows but it's the last model of that particular camera, most of them had the red bellows. 

This one is a nice looking camera, I've never seen any of the Houghton cameras in person, only in pictures. Hope your wife enjoys it.


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## IanG (Apr 25, 2014)

vintagesnaps said:


> This one is a nice looking camera, I've never seen any of the Houghton cameras in person, only in pictures. Hope your wife enjoys it.



My wife got me to buy it, now she'd like me to use it, she just wants it on display most of the time.

I now seem to be collecting Hougton cameras as aside from this one I have a Quarter plate Victo, a Whole plate Victo, a Half plate Duchess (all Wood & Brass), and an Ensign 420 and an 820, plus a rare Ross Ensign 107mm f3.5 Ensar (so rare no other is known) it's a prototype uncoated 105mm f3.8 Xpres.

I've some other Houghtons bits and pieces, a candle powered Ensign safelight, two new in their boxes Ensign safelights (they fit over a standard electric light bulb, some Barnet Warm tome paper.

I'd forgotten I also have two Ensign SLRs that I need to service one is a 6x9 camera the other is Quarter plate re-badged as a Dallmeyer Press camera

All good fun.

Ian


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