Scovill Mfg. Co. (New York, NY)
Waterbury Lens (Single Achromat) Variation 1 (inserted stops) - c. 1880-c.1890's
brass,
very early designation: Type C
Ser. No. 748
thick
nickel-plated brass Ser. No. 7986
brass
Ser. No. 1224188
Notes:
The Scovill Waterbury Lens
is a single achromat (hence the name). Having only two elements in
one group in the rear of the lens, it was the most inexpensive lens
offered in their catalogs.
Early in its run,
Waterbury Lens Variation 1 had round Waterhouse stops that were
inserted from the front, and held in place by a wire spring clip.
By about 1885,
Waterbury Lens Variation 2 had a rotating wheel having four
stops, and this is its most common form. Occasionally, it will be
found with an accompanying
Elite
Shutter, which was designed and marketed by Scovill to fit the
Waterbury Lens. References:
Scovill's Photo. Series No. 1, The Photographic
Amateur, 2nd Edition, J. Traill Taylor,
Scovill Mfg. Co. pub. (New York, NY), original copyright 1883,
2nd Ed. about 1885, p.3 (included with Ne
Plus Ultra) and p.23 (advertised on its own)
Descriptive Catalogue and Price List of the Photographic Apparatus
Manufactured by the American Optical Co., Scovill Mfg. Co.,
proprietors and managers (New York, NY), Sept. 1884, p.91
Scovill's Photo. Series No. 17 - First Lessons in Amateur Photography,
Randall Spaulding, Scovill Mfg. Co. pub. (New York, NY), copyright 1886,
p.a23
How to Make Photographs and Descriptive Price List,
Scovill Mfg. Co. (New York, NY), distributed by
Andrew J. Smith (Providence, RI),
1886, p. 27; p. 51
Scovill's Photo. Series No. 12, A Manual
of Photographic Chemistry, Scovill Mfg.
Co. (New York, NY), 1886, ads pp.
11 & 31
Scovill's Photo. Series No. 20, Dry
Plate Making for Amateurs, Scovill Mfg. Co. (New
York, NY), 1886, ads p.
3 & 23
How to Make Photographs and Descriptive Price List,
Scovill Mfg. Co. (New York, NY), distributed by
C.H. Codman & Co. (Boston, MA), April 1887, pp.
25 & 48
Scovill Manf'g Co. Catalogue Photographic Goods, June, 1887, David
Tucker & Co. (Buffalo, NY), June, 1887, p.61
The American Annual of Photography and Photographic Times Almanac for
1888, C.W. Canfield, ed.; Scovill Mfg. Co. (New York, NY), copyright
1887, ads p. 72
An
Illustrated Catalogue of Photographic Cameras, Lenses and Other
Apparatus and Materials for Photography, W.H. Walmsley & Co.
(Philadelphia, PA), April 1, 1888, p. 44
