E & H. T. Anthony & Co camera - How do I take a photograph with it?

[worlda02]

Hello,

This is an E & H. T. Anthony & Co camera from the late 1800s. It belonged to my Great-Great Grandfather, who was a professional photographer. I have no experience in old photography and I'm looking for some help on how to take a photograph with it. After reading through this forum, I'm sure it's possible and I was hoping that someone might point me in the right direction on its operation. Can dry plates still be obtained somewhere or is some other medium available? How are the plates put into the camera? Also, you'll notice from the pictures that I don't have it extended the full way. Is there anything I can apply to soften the bellows without damaging its historic (and sentimental) value?

Thank you,
David

[Mark Woods]

Hello David,

You may need to have the bellows replaced. Anything you do to them to soften them up won't get rid of any light leaks that may be there. You can put a low wattage bare light bulb inside the bellows and look for any bright spots -- i.e., light leaks.

Also, to get advice from the group, you might want to give us any serial numbers, names on the lens or camera, and anything else you can find. There are some incredibly knowledgeable folks on the forum. Finally, you should give us the measurements of the film holder you have photographed on the far right thumbnail.

BTW, it definitely can be used to make wonderful photos.

[Geary Lyons]

Hi David,
It is a pretty simple portrait camera. Can't tell the format size from the photo's, but most likely 8X10 or 11x14.

Where are you located? Perhaps a nearby list member would give a few moments to look at the camera and provide some instruction. You will need film, functioning film holder, something to serve as a dark cloth and a way to make the bellows light tight, if they are not.

Cheers,
Geary

[Darren Kruger]

I have no experience in old photography and I'm looking for some help on how to take a photograph with it. After reading through this forum, I'm sure it's possible and I was hoping that someone might point me in the right direction on its operation.

Check out the links on the main page (http://www.largeformatphotography.info) for some basic pointers. It appears that your lens does not have an internal shutter you you will eventually need to use something like a hat or lens cap as a substitute.


Can dry plates still be obtained somewhere or is some other medium available? How are the plates put into the camera?

to my knowledge, dry plates haven't been made for a while now. You might be able to get film holders that fit your camera and will allow you to use modern film.

How big is the piece of glass in the back? It would be about the same size as the film you would use.

You should be able to look through the camera now and get a sens of what it is like to use. Trying point the camera out a window and remove the lens cap (if any.) Turn the wheel on the lens so the biggest hole is in the center of the lens. Go to the rear of the camera and slide the back forward and backwards until you get a good image on the glass. It might help to have a dark blanket or something over the back of the camera and your head to block out the surrounding light. The image will be upside down and backwards.

-Darren

[Peter K]

David, there is an interesting site about Anthony cameras http://www.fiberq.com/cam/anth.htm

[worlda02]

Mark,

I took your advice and checked for bright spots - there are some pinhole leaks.

The brass plate on the front says "E & H. T. Anthony & Co, 591 Broadway, New York" There's a number engraved into the wood on the top, front and center, which says "232" Around the outside of the lens, it says "single 4 achromatic" There are 4 patent numbers engraved into the base part of the camera (located at the area behind the glass plate - in the back) They read, "PAT. NOV. 11. 84" "PAT. MAY 18. 1886" "PAT. FEB 20. 88" "PAT MCH. 27. 1888" On the film holder, it says "E & H. T. Anthony & Co" on one side and "ZEPHYR HOLDER" on the other. That's all the numbers/markings I could find - along with a small piece of paper that looks like it has something to do with focusing (which I've attached to this message).

The measurements of the film holder are 8x10.


Geary,

What kind of film does it take and where can I purchase it? Will the 8x10 film holder work? Also, how exactly does the film holder work? Is it supposed to fit into the camera somehow? I'm in Pennsylvania - around Gettysburg.


Darren,

What is an internal shutter and what does it do? There is a lens cap on the lens.

The size of the glass is 8x10 and there are 3 sets of colored lines on the glass, marking out 5x7 (and 7x5) and 4x5.

And I looked through the glass with the darkcloth overtop - that is neat!


Peter,

I saw the website, but thanks for the link - it really has a lot of information on the history of the camera.


Thank you to everyone for the replies! I also attached a closeup picture of the round brass piece on the side of the camera - it looks like it's threaded. Does anyone know what this is for?

[Jim Galli]

It's a beauty. It looks like you have plate holders and not film holders. Pull one of the slides out and take a picture of the inside of the holder for us. If so you'll want to buy a regular film holder to begin with. Where are you located? Also, if you turn the 2 brass tabs at the bottom of the lens board and remove it and the lens from the camera, is there anything behind the lens? Many of these old cameras were fitted with a "Packard" shutter which is very useable for your exposures even today. I do a lot of work with these old cameras. Have a look at my web pages when you have some time. E & H T Anthony became Anthony and Scovil which made it all the way into the 1960's as ANSCO. You'll be able to make stunning pictures with that old camera.

[Mark Woods]

David,

You're in luck! 8x10 film is sold and used by many of us. The paper is probably a notation about how far a ring is turned for the resulting F/Stop. You'll have to check if the film plane is the same as the Ground Glass plane. If it is, you should be able (with a few modifications perhaps) to get some "modern" 8x10 film holders and start being digitally deficient and disinclined. ;-)

[worlda02]

Thanks again to everyone! Here are some more photographs. The one is, I'm guessing, a Packard shutter. I didn't realize what it was until Jim's post (and a Google search) (Thanks Jim!) I don't know, though, if it goes to this camera. The shutter is 9" wide and 7 1/4" high. The other pictures are of the camera without the lens and the film holder - there's some kind of paper inside the holder and it looks the same when either side is opened.

[Jim Galli]

Looks like perhaps there was a glass plate still in the holder. The emulsion on the plate could very well have a texture like paper. If there are other plate holders there and they say exposed, do not open them. There could be ancient treasure in there waiting for someone to carefully develop them after all this time. On the one that is open, it's ok to pull the slide all the way out I think. Then the glass plate would have one end exposed that you push against a spring at the other end. The spring lets one end come free, then you can lift the whole plate out. That shutter is earlier than the common Packard but could very well be useable with a cleaning.

[worlda02]

I'm guessing the shutter is supposed to be mounted inside using screws. After putting a mirror in the front to look, it looks like there are holes on the far edges where the screws used to be. Does anyone know if there's a picture of what the shutter is supposed to look like?

[Ash]

The shutter is that big black thing with the hole. You use a rubber tube with an air bulb. The air pushes the circle open and releasing will close the hole again. It's a very old type of shutter.

You'll need new tubing of course.

[Jim Galli]

Here's a page (http://tonopahpictures.0catch.com/Article_About_Packard_Shutters.html) with a bunch of answers to shutter questions and a couple of pictures.

[Ernest Purdum]

The shutter looks like a Low, made by an early competitor of Packard, not that it matters. If it fits the camera and works, you're in business.

Regarding holders, during the transition period from plates to film, adapters were used to hold film in plateholders. These are just thin metal sheets with three edges turned into a "U" in which to slide the film.

[ic-racer]

Awesome camera. You will have a lot of fun figuring out how to take pictures with it. I have been playing with a #2 Anthony lens, the 5x7 version of the one on your camera ( http://www.largeformatphotography.info/forum/showthread.php?t=30826 ) .

A question for the experts. Isn't this type of lens a 'landscape' lens (with the conical snout holding the aperture wheel) and why would a landscape lens be on a portrait camera?

[Scott Davis]

Regardless of the type of lens (not enough of an expert on brass lenses to comment), it is a landscape camera - the back is permanently set in the landscape orientation.

[Peter K]

A question for the experts. Isn't this type of lens a 'landscape' lens (with the conical snout holding the aperture wheel) and why would a landscape lens be on a portrait camera?
Portrait lenses where very expensive in this times because with the techniques of glass-making big pieces of clean glass where hard to make. But in a bright glass-house studio together with magnesium flashs and of course the high-speed portrait plates made by Ansco portraiture was possible also with a landscape lens. Don't forget the head holders used to avoid moving of the clients.

Peter K

[Jim Galli]

According to the scratch paper in the picture this meniscus will open to f5.6. I think you would find the lack of corrections at that aperture quite beautiful for portraiture. Remember the Gundlach Meniscus that goes for high $$$ on Ebay works at f6. Kodak's Portrait lens was the same type but opened to f4.5 so was even softer.

[ic-racer]

According to the scratch paper in the picture this meniscus will open to f5.6. I think you would find the lack of corrections at that aperture quite beautiful for portraiture. Remember the Gundlach Meniscus that goes for high $$$ on Ebay works at f6. Kodak's Portrait lens was the same type but opened to f4.5 so was even softer.

Oh yea, I forgot about that. I have yet to try mine without the front nose.

[worlda02]

Thank you to everyone for the help! The page about shutters was very useful and gave me an idea of how the shutter is supposed to be mounted inside the camera. The only thing is, there doesn't seem to be any hole for the tubing from the air bulb to connect from the outside of the camera to the shutter on the inside. I must be missing something...

Does it matter whether it is a landscape or a portrait camera? Will it limit what subjects I can photograph with it? My Great-Great Grandfather took a lot of studio photographs as well as traveling to schools to take group photos. Would he have used the same camera for both?

Also, can anyone recommend a website(s) which sells reproduction parts (tubing, air bulb, bellows, film adapters for plate holders) or is eBay pretty much the sole place to look?

Thank you,
David

[Peter K]

Does it matter whether it is a landscape or a portrait camera? Will it limit what subjects I can photograph with it? My Great-Great Grandfather took a lot of studio photographs as well as traveling to schools to take group photos. Would he have used the same camera for both?
Portrait cameras where normaly used with different plate sizes and not intended to work with outside the studio. Your Great-Great Grandfather needed a more versatile camera for his work. So it's also a more versatile camera to you.

Have succes and fun

Peter K

[Ernest Purdum]

If you email your mailing address, I'll send you a bulb and tubing no charge. My email is at ernestpurdum@aol.com.

There are several sources for replacement bellows. I like Camera Bellows in England, but there are others in the USA. Whoever you go to, make sure that they are going to use an outer material as close as possible to the original and will make the pleats big and square-cornered like the original.

[Ash]

http://www.largeformatphotography.info/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=11166&d=1205971231

In that pic I thought the brass piece was to connect the tubing between the inside and outside for the shutter...?