AMATEUR
EQUIPMENT NO. 3
E. & H.T. Anthony & Company, 591
Broadway, New York 1885-1886
Anthony's' Amateur
Equipment No. 3 in 5x8 stereoscopic, having a mono lens board with a Gasc
& Charconnet, Paris portrait lens No. 33082 missing both front and rear
elements, and a stereo lens board with an Anthony "EA" nickel-plated
lens. At some point, someone affixed a
board to the rear to facilitate using the single lens.
Sold as part of a complete field outfit consisting of a
camera, holder, lens, tripod and carrying case, the series was aimed at the
amateur or beginning photographer. The
No. 3 was intended for stereo work, the outfit including three lenses: two for
stereo work and one for single pictures.
As an option, the outfit could be had without the single lens. The Amateur Equipment outfits were offered in
sizes 4x5, 4-1/4x6-1/2, 5x8 and 5x8 Stereoscopic.
This version of Anthony' Amateur Equipment No. 3 features
stained and varnished wood, with a non-folding bed and no tilt or swing
adjustments. Having these attributes and a stereoscopic capability, places its
manufacture between 1885 and 1886. The
bed rail is stamped "E. & H.T. Anthony & Co." This example was previously modified, missing
some of its focusing hardware and platform architecture.
Amateur Equipment outfits, cameras and their related components
can be considered extremely scarce or rare, as they are seen very infrequently.
The
Equipment No. 2 above, from Anthony's Illustrated Catalogue, January, 1888, is
similar to the camera that would have come with the Equipment No. 3's outfit
description below, also from the same catalogue: