Scovill Mfg. Co.
American Optical Company

Field View Cameras

Organized by Form (Go to Alphabetical)

 

American Optical Co., New York, NY (1858- )
American Optical Co., New Haven, CT
American Optical Div. Scovill Mfg. Co. (1867-1871)
American Optical Co., Scovill Mfg. Co., props. (1871-1889)
American Optical Co., Scovill & Adams Co., props. (1889-1902)

 

 

 

American Optical / Scovill Patents:
(assigned to Scovill) 039,432; Aug 4, 1863; camera (this refers to the "John Stock's Patent", which is stamped on American Optical and Scovill hardware in the late 1860's-1880's)
237,246; Feb. 1, 1881; focusing frame using celluloid instead of glass (D.N. Carvalho).  Only used for the A.O. Irving camera.
243,136; Jun 21, 1881; wooden plate holder (original patentee: J. Milton Howe).  This patent was also used by Blair.
277,787; May 15, 1883; blackboard slide for plate holder (patent held by Blair, but Scovill used it by royalties paid)
283,589; Aug 21, 1883: Flammang revolving back (always stamped Flammang's)
328,664; Oct 20, 1885: rod & cylinder system for making bed rigid (by Flammang, and often stamped Flammang's Patent)
331,448; Dec. 1, 1885: front & rear focusing, two bellows camera (The Ripley Camera); George Ripley, assignor to Scovill Mfg. Co.
376,983; Jan 24, 1888: plate holder (original patentee: Willard H. Fuller, assigned to Scovill Mfg. Co.).
402,154; Apr 30, 1889: print frame (original patentee: Willard H. Fuller, assigned to Scovill Mfg. Co.).
428,809; May 27, 1890: wooden plate holder (original patentee: Willard H. Fuller, assigned to The Scovill & Adams Co.).
436,891; Sep 16, 1890: view camera having struts, essentially The Irving Camera (Washington Irving Adams, for The Scovill & Adams Co.).
 

Scans of a large number of catalogs can be found here.  Scans of American Optical and Scovill catalogs are here. 
 

 

- American Optical Co. and Scovill Mfg. Co. Cameras -

including cameras manufactured by:
-- American Optical Co. (1867 - 1907) in the former John Stock factory, & as re-built in 1884, in New York, NY;
-- Scovill Mfg. Co. (1857 - 1889), Scovill & Adams Co. (1889 - 1901) and Anthony & Scovill Co. (1901 - 1907) in the former Samuel Peck & C^o. factory in New Haven, CT;
-- Anthony & Scovill Co. (1901 - 1907) in the former Samuel Peck & C^o. factory in New Haven, CT (Cameras that are a continuation of Scovill & Adams cameras; Cameras that are a continuation of E. & H.T. Anthony cameras are on the Anthony thumbnail page);
-- ANSCO and Agfa/ANSCO (1907 - c.1930's)

including separated tables for:
-- Straight Bellows, Rear Focus
-- Tapered (Cone) Bellows, Rear Focus
-- Tapered (Cone) Bellows, Front Focus
-- Stereoscopic Cameras
-- Bicycle Cameras
-- ANSCO/Agfa-ANSCO Cameras
-- Miscellaneous Cameras

    Within each table, cameras are listed in groups of camera models that are closely related in design or models that are an update of previous models (in order to aid identification), and, within each group, are listed in approximately chronological order.