Rembrandt portrait camera questions

[Drew Bedo]

Money? Doesn't have to be a lot of cash. Any pre-depression money would still be legal tender, but would also (I think) have collector value as a gold certificate. Back then they still had $1000 bills in circulation too.

Maybe a Babe Ruth rookie card preserved in an empty pack of cigarettes?

I do like the idea of a forgotten picture, whether undeveloped in the holder, a developed neg (maybe a glass plate), or an old print. The key plot surprise could be something that is in the background or something that is absent.

Back in the 1980s, a friend of mine was called in to sort and liquidate the contents of a deceased photographer's studio by the widow. He and a neighbor went through the things and came across an old box of large prints—30 or so. They pulled out a few and found full length nudes . . .which the neighbor began to recognize as 40 year old pictures of women he knew in his childhood from up and down the bloc!.

They just stuffed them back in the box and putthe box in the "Burn Pile".

[Mark Sampson]

John,
in the summer of 1973 I was 18 and worked in a camera store. One day in the UPS shipment came a (new) B&J Rembrandt camera. I had no idea such things still existed (I'd never seen any large-format camera at that time, except at the george eastman House). I took it out of the box (it had red bellows) and the store owner told me to put it back, as it had been special-ordered by the University of Rochester. It did not have its own case.
Flash forward to 1981, and I have just acquired an 8x10 Ansco view camera, the battleship grey one (a la Morley Baer). It lived in a Vulcanoid-style case like the ones supplied with Speed Graphics- it held the 5x7 reducing back and a few holders. Had a small brass 'ANSCO' label on the lid, next to the bakelite handle.
Hope this helps... I wonder who at UofR wanted the Rembrandt, and what happened to it?

[Tin Can]

I may be able to answer this question

Rosebud

I bought my 2 Rembrandts before the current insanity on ebay, which I may have created...

I wanted them for the sturdy front tailboard and internal shutter

Red bellows

as for Police, B&J sold it with 2 attached hot lights for mug shots

A Rembrandt figures into a short story I'm writing----the protagonist discovers and buys the camera at a police property book auction (or so the plot line goes) so I was wondering if anyone here can tell me what kind of box (color, approximate size, construction material---vulcanite?)The Rembrandt originally came in and how many film holders, etc. could fit inside? Thanks!