ANTHONY'S PATENT NOVELETTE

E. & H.T. Anthony & Company, New York 1886-1901

Anthony's 4x5 Novelette was the only size offered in 1886, and the smallest available as sizes up to 14x17 were added in later years. Early versions have no swing or tilt adjustment, but have the ability to change from vertical to horizontal format by rotating the bellows.

Like Anthony's Bijou Camera, this 4x5 Novelette was constructed to be as light weight and compact as possible. One unique feature on this example is the fixed obelisk-topped lens standard posts. Most other Novelettes in larger formats have wooden egg-shaped, round or pagoda-style finials. Anthony's nickel-plated maker's plate with their 591 Broadway address is affixed to the top of the rear frame. The camera's original T-shaped tripod screw mounts to the rear bed when not in use. This design feature, if properly used, ensured the operator would never misplace it. And, it's the reason why many of them are found with the camera today. The folding bed is stamped with patents of March 26, 1882, February 20, 1883 and November 11, 1884 covering improvements incorporated into the camera's design. The period-correct nickel-plated Novel View Lens is stamped with Anthony's prominent "EA" trademark. The Novelette used Anthony's Patent Detective Double Dry Plate Holders that were made specifically to fit its back. Several variations of this holder are known to exist.

The Novelette, produced in various models and variations, made its last appearance in Anthony's Illustrated Catalogue of Photographic Equipments and Materials for Amateurs for 1901.

One of Anthony's greatest and longest-lived series, Novels and Novelettes are much less common today than other field cameras, especially in the very smallest and largest of formats.