Curious cameras
Some collectable cameras are still usable. Some usable cameras are eminently collectable. But sometimes you come across a camera that for shooting purposes is impractical, not to say downright useless, yet you find it strangely attractive. You know you'll never take pictures with it, yet you want it – if only to look at it, play with it and secretly fondle it. If you find yourself in this predicament, beware. You might be turning into a camera collector. If all this sounds alien to you, the best bet is to skip the next six pages. If, however, you feel a certain affinity with cameras that are oddly obscure or weirdly wonderful, then read on.
1862 Thompson’s Revolver Camera
Designed in England and built in France to loosely resemble a revolver, the lens on this wet-plate camera slid up and down on brass tracks. At the top of its throw, it lined up with a ground-glass focusing screen covered by a magnifier. As a trigger-like catch was pressed, the lens dropped to its lower position, which aligned it with a 7.5cm circular photographic plate, just as the single-speed rotary shutter was released to shoot the picture. The plate then rotated through 90°, ready for the next exposure.
1886 Stirn’s Patent Concealed Vest Camera
Pandering to a craze that began in
