its about 5x7
The lens would have been in the hole in the square plate in the last picture. Definitely home made for glass dry plates.
James
hmm i had to pull off the top which was nailed down ( barely) and all of that was under. So the lens went under the top piece with the smaller hole?
it doesn't look like there was a shutter ...
maybe it was a pinhole camera?
what does the inside of the wood box look like
is it stained from chemicals ?
This seems to be patterned of a Brownie. Note the two reflex viewers: one for portrait, one for landscape. I suspect it did have a lens that was removed. There were a number of similar cameras made say 1895-1905. I don't see any provision for a roll film winding knob, so it probably was made for dry plates. There was a style of camera called "falling plate" box cameras in that period. The rough finish makes me think it could have been home made.
doesn't appear to have any staining from chemical I took a look at the falling plate cameras and it kinda looks simular but I am not too sure. All the ones I seen had the lens mounted on the inside and a hinged door with an opening about the size of the lens itself on outer cover. The opening on the outer cover on my box is tiny. I would really like to use it that's why I'm trying to figure out exactly or close to what it is.
the staining would have suggested wet plate ... the chemistry stains and eats through wood.
in photo #2 it looks like in the open space there was something there
that isn't now ..
was there another part that was removed ?
the inside doesn't look like a falling plate camera or a "normal" dry plate camera, but if a part was removed or is missing
it might have been a frame with a pair of flat springs that would have held a plate for pinhole work.
a meniscus lens like a box or falling plate camera would have been kind of fast, and dry plates were kind of fast ... ( usually 50th S for both falling plate and box caemras)
so without a shutter ( no drilled hole for a pneumatic shutter, or button for guillotine shutter ) it would have had to be a slow lens ...
If it is a pin hole then why the secondary larger opening under the top piece of wood? would the pin hole go there and maybe a shutter over the smaller hole?
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