THE TUXEDO
CAMERA
Rochester
Camera Manufacturing Company, 13 Aqueduct Street, Rochester, New York circa 1892
With a colorful decal adorning its shutter housing, this Tuxedo Camera toured with the Ringling
Brothers Circus in the 1890's.
Well...not really, and I don't believe the decal was applied at the
factory. But I've left it there for the
time being, as it just happens to meet right at the very ends of the shutter
housing, looks professionally done, and with my luck I'd remove it only to
discover later that it was factory original.
The Tuxedo, its name probably deriving from its mostly
all black "attire", is believed to have been offered in 4x5 only. It
was similar in construction to Rochester Camera Manufacturing's Rochester 4x5 Folding, with the
exception of its black ebonized interior and its external dimensions. The Tuxedo's dimensions at 6-1/2" in
height, 6-9/16" in width and 6-1/2" in depth, is more of a cube
compared to the Rochester 4x5 Folding at 7-1/16" in height, 5-7/16"
in width and 4-3/4" in depth. Without removing their front panels to
confirm, both cameras appear to utilize the same shutter, based upon the
function and placement of their controls and both have rotary apertures:
Tuxedo
Rochester 4x5 Folding
This example bears what is believed to be a serial number
"300" stamped at bottom in the rear compartment, as this same number
doesn't appear elsewhere on the camera as an assembly number would have. This
same single-number scheme has also been seen on other early Rochester Camera
Manufacturing models:
This Tuxedo is equipped with a single achromatic lens located
behind the shutter versus the Rochester 4x5 Folding's front and rear element
(rapid rectilinear) arrangement. The lens opening's brass surround is radiused with no threads, indicating there never was a
front element. Otherwise, the same brass hardware, heavy brass bed rails,
wood-encased shutter and a rotatable viewfinder for horizontal or vertical
work, were utilized as on the Rochester 4x5 Folding. Perhaps the Tuxedo was intended as an economy
model, having a single lens and black-finished wood in contrast to the multiple
lens elements and polished mahogany found on the more upscale Rochester 4x5
Folding. Or, maybe it was the
predecessor to the Rochester 4x5 Folding, possibly having been discontinued in
1892 just as the Rochester 4x5 Folding was being introduced. Like the Rochester
4x5 Folding which is actually stamped "ROCHESTER", the
"TUXEDO" name is prominently stamped in gold lettering along with the
manufacturer's name, on the interior of the rear loading door:
It's unknown if the Tuxedo
was introduced with the founding of the Rochester Camera Manufacturing Company
in 1891, or in 1892, or if it was discontinued in either 1892 or in early 1893,
as it doesn't appear in Rochester Camera Manufacturing's May,1893 catalogue.
In all likelihood, based upon its similarity in
construction to the Rochester 4x5 Folding, having the Rochester 4x5 Folding's earlier two-rail bed configuration (1892-1893),
and that by May,1894, Rochester Camera Manufacturing Company's catalogue reflects
the Rochester 4x5 Folding now having a single center track, the Tuxedo may only
have been produced for a year or so. The Rochester 4x5 Folding's
production would continue, its name being changed to the Folding Poco No. 12 by June, 1895, and
later to the Folding Poco
Camera Series F by Rochester Camera Manufacturing Company's successor, the
Rochester Camera Company:
Rochester
Camera Company Poco Camera
From
Rochester Camera Manufacturing Company's May, 1894 Catalogue
Compared with other cameras from the early 1890's, the
Tuxedo is very obscure. Advertisements,
factory catalogues and supplier references for the camera seem to be
non-existent, and no collector reference photographs or museum examples exist to
my knowledge. Other than the example shown here, one other is known to exist in
a private collection, two were reportedly sold (or auctioned) during 2002 and
2003 and probably a few more exist.
Altogether, this has made the Tuxedo almost unknown, except to a handful
of knowledgeable collectors.
The Tuxedo is
one of those "Holy Grail" cameras from the Rochester Camera
Manufacturing Company, and certainly one of the rarest of all American
self-casing cameras.
SIDE
STORY
This
example was acquired on eBay, possibly missed by those who knew of the model's
existence, or passed over due to unfamiliarity or because of the camera's
condition. Despite the "TUXEDO" name prominently shown, and having
that earlier and heavier look which differs from later self-casing cameras, few
seemed to pick up on it and little bidding took place.
To
this day, I still can't believe I was lucky enough to acquire this camera, that
I had known of and searched for, over the past 30 years.
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