Old Rapid Rectilinear information

[Simon Benton]

At the risk of raising the wrath of Dan I would like to ask if anyone has information on this old brass barrel lens I just purchased.

On the barrel are the words:
BENTON RAPID RECTILINEAR
12 15
J B Hostetler
Davenport Iowa
Bausch & Lomb Optical Co

I researched that Mr Hostetler was a photographer in the late 1800's and early 1900's but I am curious as to why he would have his name on the barrel and what the name Benton refers. Did he market these lenses? The glass is in great shape and seems to be about 18 inches focal length - I am going to mount it on a board and try it out. The iris has been removed but there is a slot that I can use Waterhouse stops in. I assume the 12 15 means it covers 12X15 inches?

Any info gratefully received.

[Dan Fromm]

Um, Simon, isn't the barrel engraved "Bausch & Lomb Optical Co" at the larger end? I bet that's a clue as to who made it.

Cheers,

Dan

Y'know what annoys me? People who ask old questions without showing signs of having tried to find answers and failed. Searching and failing is ok, not trying doesn't seem right. You searched and didn't fail completely. Good on you.

[Simon Benton]

Hi Dan. I realised that Bausch and Lomb made the lens but I was just curious as to why a photographer would have his name on the barrel - it is not really the same situation where Kodak used B & L lenses on their cameras. Also the name BENTON in front of the Rapid Rectilinear made me curious - did one of my ancestors design/use/??? this particular type of RR.

[Steven Tribe]

The Hostetler and Iowa address is surely the name and store address of the retailer who sold this objective. There are a lot of known early american "photographic Store names" that are known - I couldn't find this one though.

Benton could have had a contract with B&L (travelling the country and selling his wares, perhaps even doing the engraving for the store). Or he might have been a well known "photographer" who alowed his name to put on the marketed RR. Again, I can't find him - there are too many Bentons in N. America! There are many examples of "artifying objectives" with current known photographic artist's name. I think the first solution is probably the correct one.

[Steven Tribe]

Found him (Hostetler, that is).
As you say, he was an photographer who, like many others - even now, had a store. He died in 1926. A later store address for him was:


HEPBURN & HOSTETLER,

Photo.
Supplies*'

320 Brady Street...

DAVENPORT,
IOWA.

[Emil Schildt]

qoute: "Y'know what annoys me? People who ask old questions without showing signs of having tried to find answers and failed. Searching and failing is ok, not trying doesn't seem right."

And this is why I don't ask too many questions in here...

An "old question" to you might be really new to me.

And I am extremely bad in searching on the internet - and in here and on APUG I always fail.. completely.

So I stay ignorant.

[Dan Fromm]

Emil, all you have to do is 'fess up and admit to trying and failing. There's no shame in failing, there's real shame in not trying.