# Unknown camera..possible Daguerreotype??



## kensdadsdogsdead (Jul 8, 2016)

Hi All.

Can anyone identify this camera?
I suspect it is a Daguerreotype but not certain.
The lens is a Ross.

Thanks


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## limr (Jul 8, 2016)

A Daguerreotype is the picture resulting from the process, not the camera. The camera is a large format view camera with a few film holders. Looks like it's in good condition. Someone who does large format can tell you more about the specifics.


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## minicoop1985 (Jul 9, 2016)

With that kind of lens, you would use VERY slow film. The lens cap was your shutter.


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## limr (Jul 9, 2016)

And those inserts are Waterhouse stops. Those are the aperture for the lens.


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## snowbear (Jul 9, 2016)

Wonderful craftsmanship; I love mahogany.


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## 480sparky (Jul 9, 2016)

Working or not, it's a great find.  Bonus points if it works.


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## compur (Jul 9, 2016)

Gorgeous.


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## petrochemist (Jul 9, 2016)

480sparky said:


> Working or not, it's a great find.  Bonus points if it works.



Cameras of this type have little to go wrong, pretty much if the lens is clear & there are no light leaks it will work as it did when new.


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## vintagesnaps (Jul 13, 2016)

I love Waterhouse stops...

I found some info. that might help date it on a site I've used before. (I collect old cameras but not large format. Yet anyway.)

I'm guessing this is not a daguerreotype camera but probably is from the mid to late 1800s based on the lens. Look at the engraving on it and you might be able to figure out what era of the Ross company this was made in.

Early Portrait Lenses - Antique and Vintage Cameras
Information on Camera Makers and Companies - Antique and Vintage Cameras


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## vintagesnaps (Jul 13, 2016)

I wonder if an option would be to go thru a camera swap or an auction house. I don't know the value but it would probably be a matter of finding a buyer interested in this (which you may not find in the usual places, I'm not sure).


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## Tim Tucker (Jul 14, 2016)

Interesting. It would be good to see the side view with the focussing cranked out a little. Does it have bellows or is it a sliding box? If it has bellows then it's probably a 'tailboard' camera.

Rouch Tailboard - Antique and Vintage Cameras

Other questions are, do you have the ground glass focussing screen? Have you opened one of the dark slides to see what format it is (undo the two clips on the sides and it should fold open)? It could be a half plate, which would be good, at 4-3/4" x 6-1/2". Has it been converted for sheet film or does it still only take glass slides (a metal insert in the holders for sheet film)? You can't get film for a lot of these older formats. The dark slides are certainly consistent with the earlier designs.

I love the way all the screw slots line up! It's the same on my Marion and Co.

It's value really depends on it being a historic model as these were the common cameras of the day. If it's not a significant model then probably around £250 at a guess.


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## PhilW (Oct 2, 2016)

It was a learning experience for me a couple of years ago when I started building a sliding box camera for the Lincoln Funeral Reenactment held here a year ago this past May. It is based on the design for a traditional wet plate camera by Ty Guillory. The sliding box design, according to a Kodak history book by Todd Gustavson was popular through the 1860's and was an original design of Daguerre. This one looks like it falls in the category of a Fixed-Bed Double Box camera. They could be used for Wet Plate Collodion, Dry Plate or Daguerreotype photography.

The lens used on the camera you see in my avatar is a Petzval lens which also has the Waterhouse stops. This one has been steampunked with a Canon Rebel DSLR on the inside.

The camera pictured is neat! The mahogany really gives it a nice appearance. What I find interesting about the corner joints is that they used screws. Dovetail joints were more commonly used during that time period. It is slick that the screws all line up on the heads!

In the design I have worked with, the darkslide fits in the plate holder in front of the plate itself. In the design pictured, it looks like the darkslide is in the plate holder along with a second one in the rear standard of the camera. Lenses with a faster aperatures were popular at the time to cut down on the exposure time. There is also a seperate focusing screen that fits in the same slot as the plate holder.

The lens board is attractive on the camera pictured. The wood grains go both directions to tolerate the variations in temperature and humidity more.

My guess would be to date it towards the latter end of the period, since the screw joints would be easier and faster to deal with than the dovetail joints.

The original owner of the camera pictured must have been busy with 3 plate holders!


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