I see dozens of Century, ANSCO, and Eastman studio film cameras from the 1890s to 1930s, but here's one you don't see often. It's an E. & H.T. Anthony & Co. 8x10 Imperial and Card wetplate camera from 1877 (est). Later they were called the Climax Imperial camera, but not in the first years, when the longer name was used. Anthony and their competitor, Scovill, were the first major camera makers in America, starting before the Civil War. This is the professional outfit that would have taken the wetplate portraits we are so amazed at today.
It's a basic camera box, with single bellows. No fancy movements in the front, it was made as a professional's studio camera long before amateurs started taking photographs. It was made to hold large, fast portrait lenses, like the one it was found with. It is made entirely from high quality Caribbean mahogany, and the cabinetry and joints are very well done.
The 1876 catalog uses the language of the day to explain how many plates you can make with the sliding back and masking system with one "tube" (lens). Like a lot of esoteric, historic subjects, it's not that easy to understand today. But we can see the back slides left and right into a few positions, and it appears to me that with my particular mask insert, I could make two cabinet card sized shots on one 8x10 plate. The nice little knob at the top of the frame locks the sliding frame into the positions, but I still cannot fathom the engraved markings.
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