Origins of 4x5?

[Brassai]

I've been doing some google searches but still haven't come up with the history of 4x5 format/film. Near as I can tell, it was an American invention and probably from somewhere around 1898. Was this a proprietary size by Kodak that took off with the Graflex cameras? Or, did it just sort of appear, out of the mist of time? I assume that going into the 1890s the sizes were mostly the old English plate sizes (half plate, quarter plate, ....) or the European metrics (9x12 etc.) But then again, I'm not finding anything telling me when the metric sizes got started either. I'm guessing that when sheet film began getting popular then these new sizes began to appear, around 1900? Only the English kept the plate sizes for another ~50 years? Was there a first 4x5 camera?

[Leigh]

It started around 100 BI (Before Internet), and thus there is little surviving documentation.

- Leigh

[Brassai]

It started around 100 BI (Before Internet), and thus there is little surviving documentation.

The 4x5 would be older than 1914 because I have a Century cycle camera using 4x5, made around 1905. And, Petzval started well BI but there's tons of stuff on it (lens) and him (Josef.) How did 4x5 seemingly come from nowhere around 1900 to very common by 1920? There's a story here somewhere.

[Leigh]

There's a story here somewhere.

It was a marriage of convenience.

8x10 was too large to use outside the studio, so it was drawn and quartered.

- Leigh

[Bill_1856]

It was a marriage of convenience.

8x10 was too large to use outside the studio, so it was drawn and quartered.

- Leigh

To the GALLOWS for that one. In fact: Off with his head!

[Kirk Gittings]

It was a marriage of convenience.

8x10 was too large to use outside the studio, so it was drawn and quartered.

- Leigh

[ROL]

The '4' is Hindu–Arabic (same with '5', I believe), the 'x', probably Latin.


We're a helpful bunch, aren't we?

[Jim Andrada]

The '4' is Hindu–Arabic (same with '5', I believe), the 'x', probably Latin.


We're a helpful bunch, aren't we?

Interestingly eough some of the arabic numerals look like our current numerals, except they mean something different. the arabic 0 = our 5 and the arabic 7 = our 6. I learned this one night watching a video of the suites on Etihad's A380's and noticed that one was labeled 7 and 6. Sure enough, they both mean VI - sorry, 6.

[Rapidrob]

While an old post, I do have two 4x5 glass plate negatives in my collection from the 1880's.

[Richard Johnson]

5x4 is an even greater mystery....