McAllister radial drive petzval

[cyberjunkie]

I love petzvals, both as collector's items and as photographic tools.
I have always considered the radial drive as the most elegant solution, compared to the common tangential rack and pinion.
I badly wanted one... and now it's on its way to my home

The lens is engraved McAllister NY.
I am attaching a few pictures from the auction.
The vendor wrote that McAllister was one of the american vendors of Darlot lenses, therefore suggesting that this lens was made by Darlot, in Paris.
I am very dubious about that.
I am not an expert, in particular i'm quite ignorant about 19th century lenses, but i have never seen a french made radial drive petzval.
I always thought that the radial drive was definitely an american feature.
Then i did a quick Google search and found a reference to a radial drive E. Francais lens (the name says it all..not a USA brand!), and possibly also Jamin/Darlot ones.
Am i missing something?
Any clue about the maker of my lens?

[CCHarrison]

McAllister was a long running family making and selling optics but especially known for magic lanterns... see 1885 ad below

McAllister moved to NY in 1865 (from Philly), so we know the lens is no earlier than that. Definitely a ML lens.

Dan

[cyberjunkie]

Thanks Dan.
You have a wealth of documentation about 19th century USA lenses!
So McAllister was also a maker, not just a reseller.
You seem to suggest that the lens could have been made in-house, and not purchased from another maker (european or american).
Definitely it's magic lantern lens. No waterhouse slot and no sunshade.
Not a big problem, but i am afraid that the focal length could be too short for 5x7"/13x18cm.
In my limited experience the older projection petzvals have rather short focals, even some big ones. Long, slow ones were more common in the first half of the 20th century.
Am i right about that?

After a more thorough search, i could find no lenses with the same aesthetical features. America made radial drive petzvals have a round attachment for the focusing knob.
I found no pictures of a squared radial drive attachment.

[goamules]

...
After a more thorough search, i could find no lenses with the same aesthetical features. America made radial drive petzvals have a round attachment for the focusing knob.
I found no pictures of a squared radial drive attachment.

Very early CC Harrison radial drives had a square drive attachment. But there were also other types of optics, like early telescopes, and projector lenses like yours, that had radial focus knobs. I don't think you can determine a manufacturer for your projector lens by comparing features of photographic camera lenses. But my guess is McAllister made the brasswork them self.

[CCHarrison]

Just for clarity (and trying to make a long story short), in the 1850's, it appears one firm (Levi Chapman?) made the barrels for most New York made lenses and another firm (Optician) would have made/ground/supplied the lenses. Harrison didnt make barrels or tubes as they were sometimes called, he supplied and ground the glass. The square drive Garrett refers to was on the market in 1852/53 and was on found on various lenses with different makers/sellers name on them, supporting one firm was supplying the majority of barrels... Given later HBH and Harrison lense that have barrels that are identical also supports this notion.

The square drive on your lens is different than the '52 square - at least the screws are different. See attached images of a Gardner, Harrison & Co (took over from WH Lewis) marked lens with a square drive and a CC Harrison lens with square drive. lenses with this square drive.

Dan

[goamules]

Wow Dan, that Gardner would be a nice one to have! I spotted a Lewis once, but it was gone before I could get back to get it. But I've got a few uncommon ones.

[cyberjunkie]

Thanks again Dan!
The knobs and the screws look perfectly identical to those in my lens.
That seems to confirm that there was a certain level of standardization, with a single hardware maker providing barrels/parts to different lensmakers.
I had already noticed that HB&H and Harrison petzvals have identical radial drive parts.
AFAIK french and british brands used the same "outsourcing" strategy: a network of different workshop was used to manufacture different parts, that were later assembled in a complete camera/lens.
I guess that an high degree of customization was available, upon request of the client.

I am starting to feel a little proud of myself
Two experienced forum users seem to confirm my initial impression (which was based on no solid knowledge).
Contrary to the claim of the vendor, probably the lens is not Darlot's, nor french.
This forum is truly an invaluable tool, which allows to share bits of photographic culture, even to those who, by birth, never had the chance to touch or see photographic equipments made nearly 150 years ago, on the other side of the ocean, and which never had large diffusion in the old continent.
I especially appreciate some of the most experienced users, who are sharing their knowledge in a friendly way, with liberality and with no vested interests.
I am sure there are other forum users who feel exactly the same.
I think my THANK YOU is also theirs.

[Two23]

I think I saw that lens on eBay last month. He listed it as a "rack & pinion," and I sent him an email telling him it was actually a radial, and I thought it was a projection lens due to no shade and no slot. I did consider bidding on it.


Kent in SD

[Steven Tribe]

Although Darlot appears to have supplied his agents (like B.French) and "re-engravers" (like Marion) with complete brass/glass assemblies, there is no reason why he may not have supplied people like McAllister with lens glass sets.

- Darlot could increase volume in Paris and circumvent foreign agents' contracts.
- Mc Allister could provide a style which was more appealing to American fashions.

The GG lens edge will be worth a check for pencil/ink clues.

[eddie]

There were many radial drive european petzval lenses. I sold a couple of e francais petzval lenses recently that were radial drives.

http://www.largeformatphotography.in...light=francais

http://www.largeformatphotography.in...light=francais