I've been wondering if it's maybe a prototype.
mdarnton:
That's a very close design but the hardware doesn't match up. And too many things on the B&J are just not right.
I took a close look at the Watson Portrait Camera (
https://www.piercevaubel.com/cam/misc/bjwatson.htm) and it's quite similar.
That made me curious and I looked at the two side locks on the front stanchion.
Normally they hold the lens board vertical but they can be moved to add tilt to the front stanchion. Basically the lens board is all that tilts.
I'm reading Jim Stone's "A Users Guide to the View Camera" and on page 98 he describes tailboard cameras as being designed in the late 19th century with folding tail boards for portability. Unfortunately none of his photographs show this camera.
_Karl
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