THE SUCCESS COMPACT VIEW
E. & H.T. Anthony & Company, New
York 1873 - 1882
Anthony's
Success Compact View is seen as early as 1872 in Anthony's catalogues.
Its name derived from the camera having a hinged-bed and a lens standard that
was partially recessed into the camera's main frame when folded. With a folded
depth of only 6 inches, the end result was a camera that was more compact than many
other field cameras of the same format.
Based on its production timeline, the Success Compact
View was a wet plate camera that transitioned into the dry plate era. Several
variations of the camera are known. The particular style of the vertical swing supports
seen on this 8x10 example, differs from the style seen on earlier production
models as depicted in Anthony's catalogues. This, together with the absence of wet
plate stains may suggest that this particular example was manufactured later in
production:
The earliest version of the camera exhibits the
English-style of construction, as seen in the engraving from Anthony's 1972
catalogue below. Nelson Wright's centrally swiveling rear frame design with a locking
knob, Patent No. 52,239 of January 23, 1866, was incorporated on this first
version and the subsequent version having a more curved swing support as seen in
the Anthony 1875 catalogue engraving below.
Source: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
On later confirmed versions of the Success Compact, the
vertical swing is secured by a sliding knob connected to the base of the rear
frame:
Although not a part of Nelson Wright's patented design, the
camera's lateral swing was adjusted by two thumb screws located beneath the rear
frame's base support, one on each side. This feature is found on all surviving
examples seen of the Success Compact View I've encountered, although per
Anthony's 1875 catalogue, the camera could be had with a single swing, double
swing or no swing at all.