THE ADVILL CAMERA
American Optical Company/Scovill & Adams Company,
New York 1890-1894
Source: Antony Manthos
Manufactured by American Optical Company for Scovill
& Adams, the Advill Camera was
introduced by June,1890, in Scovill's How
to Make Photographs. It was offered
that year, alongside Scovill's Detective Camera and their Improved Waterbury
Detective Camera.
Patent No. 436,347 was granted September 16, 1890 to
Willard H. Fuller of Passaic, New Jersey for the Advill's design, and assigned
to the Scovill & Adams Company of New York. Fuller was granted at least
fourteen patents between 1887 and 1892, for cameras and other photographic
apparatus, all of which were assigned to either the Scovill Manufacturing
Company or to Scovill & Adams. Fuller, an employee of Scovill & Adams,
died on January 14, 1892 at the age of 37 after an illness of about ten days.
Source:
U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
This magazine-style detective camera was available only in
4x5. As reflected in their advertisements, three models were designated based upon
their film or glass plate capacity. As
seen in the photos, American Optical's lineage is evident, as the Advill incorporates
the same rack-and-pinion focusing mechanism, lens and aperture style, shutter
charging handle and spring-tensioned lens cap as seen on their series of Waterbury
Detective cameras.
The camera was designated "The Advill Camera"
in most advertisements between 1890 and 1894, one exception being Scovill's How to Make Photographs, January, 1892,
where the camera falls under the heading "Magazine Cameras for cut films"
with no mention of the Advill name. The Advill seems to make its last appearance
Scovill's American Annual of Photography
and Photographic Times Almanac for 1894, now offered only in the No. 1 (for
12 4x5 cut films) and No. 3 (for 12 4x5 glass plates) models.
Although having been advertised for about five years, the
camera apparently proved unpopular and no doubt, very few were ever built. Along
with some other very obscure models of the same period by other makers, the
Advill has attained a "mythical" status. To my knowledge, no examples were known to
exist, that is until now.
The
Advill is one of those great, "holy grail" cameras
for collectors of early Scovill detectives, and I'm ecstatic to see an example finally
surface. It's an exciting discovery like this, that keeps us passionate about
the hobby and the possibility that other such unseen cameras may one day come
to light.
My Sincere Thanks to
Antony Manthos for sharing this extremely rare camera from his collection.
.
Source: Antony Manthos
Source:
Antony Manthos
From Scovill's American Annual of
Photography and Photographic Times Almanac for 1891
From Scovill's American Annual of Photography
and Photographic Times Almanac for 1894