SOLOGRAPH-STYLED CAMERA

The Flammang Camera Company, 180-186 West Houston Street, New York 1897 - 1898

This unidentified Solograph-styled model camera was either manufactured by the Flammang Camera Company of New York prior to the company's sale in late 1897, or by the subsequent owner who purchased the assets of the Flammang Company and who may have continued using the "Flammang Camera Company" name for a short period of time.

The camera featured here is nearly identical in construction to Scovill & Adams' Solograph Camera introduced in 1898. The first Solographs had round-shaped brass lens standard posts, which by the merger of Anthony & Scovill in 1902 would change to square-shaped nickel-plated brass posts along with other hardware and design changes.

If constructed by the Flammang Camera Company prior to its 1897 sale, the ivoroid maker's tag on this Solograph-style camera differs from tags seen on other believed earlier Flammang cameras, suggesting the tag style may have changed later in the company's history. Although possible, for a company that lasted for about a year, such a change seems unlikely. The other possibility, is that this camera was made by the concern that purchased the Flammang Camera Company, which may have continued using the "Flammang" name, hence the different style maker's tag.

Early style tag (believed) Later style tag

With so few surviving Flammang cameras, non-existent factory catalogues and relatively little known of the company, it's difficult to discern the truth. In either case, both the original Flammang Camera Company and the successor company that may or may not have used the Flammang name, were very short-lived.