THE
AMERICAN
Rochester Optical Company, Rochester, New
York 1888 - 1890
Possibly introduced in 1887, Rochester Optical Company's "The
American" was available the following year, appearing in the company's
Illustrated Catalogue of Photographic
Apparatus for April, 1888. Aimed at the amateur market, it would be
offered in 4x5, 4-1/4x6-1/2, 5x8 and 6-1/2x8-1/2 formats over the course of its
run.
R.O.C.'s catalogue states the camera was constructed of
cherry wood, was "highly finished" with nickel trimmings and had
vertical swing along with a rising and falling front. The 4x5 size was priced
at $14 in 1888, as part of an outfit that included R.O.C.'s Single View Lens
with four removable diaphragms (Waterhouse stops), a "Standard Folding
Tripod" and one "Model Holder".
Distinguishing The
American from R.O.C.'s other models, was its rear frame which slid inside
the camera's body, and the bed which folded closed as on a typical self-casing
camera. This eliminated the need for a field case, and with the lens board
reversed and a plain front-board inserted, the camera appeared as just a box.
Also unique to this model, was a single bed support on
one side which locked the bed in place, the opposite side having a pivoting and
adjustable support that secured the position of the vertical swing:
Focus was achieved via a push/pull tab at the center,
with the focusing screen's position being secured by pulling inward on two tabs
that tensioned against the bed rails:
Locking tabs open
Locking tabs engaged
The
American joined some of the earliest examples of the self-casing
concept, most notably the Blair Lucidograph (1884), the Gibbs Camera (1888) and the Pearsall Compact (1883), each exhibiting their own unique design.
The American's particular frame-in-a-case configuration, appears to have been
the earliest to use this design for which no patents have been found. This
design would resurface in the late 1890's, being seen on a few other
American-made self-casing cameras.
This 4x5 example mirrors Rochester Optical's
catalogue depiction, in that it's shown here with an R.O.C. No. 1 Single View Lens having a removable diaphragm set.
Though not reflected in the factory engraving below, The American was equipped
with a rising and falling front. This feature is stated in the catalogue's
description, evidenced on this example by the sliding groove seen on what
remains of the front panel and a routed section on the inner face where the
tensioning arrangement to secure the sliding panel was located:
From Rochester Optical Company's
Illustrated Catalogue of Photographic Apparatus, April, 1888
Rochester Optical Company's
Illustrated Catalogue of Photographic Apparatus, April, 1888
From
Rochester Optical Company's Illustrated Catalogue of Photographic Apparatus,
June, 1889 Image Source: HathiTrust
Digital Library
R.O.C.'s
Single View Lens also appeared as a standalone item in their
1888, 1889 and 1890 catalogues. In 1888, the lens was offered with the
diaphragm set only, but by 1889, it could be had with a rotary aperture (wheel
stop) which is how it would be equipped going forward. Also, about 1890,
R.O.C.'s Single-View Lenses transitioned from nickel finishes to lacquered
brass along with other dimensional changes to incorporate the new rotary
aperture as seen below:
From Rochester Optical
Company's 1890 catalogue
This example is missing its plain front-board, one side
of the front panel frame, its rising/falling front and associated hardware, its
ground glass focusing screen, some screws for the metal ground glass retainers
and the camera's leather carry handle.
Appearing in Rochester Optical's
June, 1890 catalogue but no longer found in their May, 1891 catalogue, The American was probably made for
about two and a half years, and apparently in very low numbers. An interesting
design notwithstanding, its 16%-20% higher price over Rochester's New Model and
its cumbersome swing and screen locking features, apparently proved unpopular.
At least one example resided in a private collection some forty years ago, but
its location is currently unknown. And no doubt, a few more exist in museums,
other collections or are yet to be discovered.
A seriously rare "American"
field camera....pun intended.