Flammang's Patent Revolving Back Camera, Back Focus Variation 1.0

American Optical Company

Scovill Mfg. Co., Proprietors

Flammang's Patent Revolving Back Camera, Back Focus Variation 1.0

(push-pull focus, swing hinged at the bottom of the rear standard, and lacquer-coated brass hardware)

The Photographic Times and American Photographer, Vol. XIII, No. 149, Scovill Mfg. Co., May 1883, p. 205 (introduction)

Scovill's Dry Plate Making for Amateurs, ads p. 14

11 x 14" size with bottom hinge swing, as shown in the catalog engravings. This camera has four American Optical plate holders - two of which open like a book to load (front two) and two of which the back pulls out to load (rear two).

Label on front standard: "American Optical Comp'y, New York Scovill Mfg. Co., Prop'trs"

Stamps on the rear of the platform: "4" (probably an assembly number, but could conceivably be a serial number), and "Scovill Manufacturing Co. New York"

Stamp on the lens board: "The Scovill & Adams Co. N.Y.". This may not be the original lens board, since its color is lighter than that of the camera body.

Many manufacturers of the 1880's and 1890's would go to the trouble to line up the screw heads (as below) on their top-of-the-line cameras, but none did as neat a job as American Optical, who would 1) line up the slots (by trying screws by trial and error until they lined up), 2) draw file along the direction of the slots until the heads of the screws had been flattened to the plane of the brass sheet; at this point, their heads were almost invisible (the ones below have been accentuated by increasing the contrast of the photo), and 3) removing the screws and hardware (keeping the screws in order, naturally), heating them, and applying a protective lacquer while the parts are hot.

Manufacturer: American Optical Co. New York, NY factory
Date Introduced: - ; Years Manufactured: c.1883-c.1896
Construction: rear focus via push-pull; single or double swing; reversing by revolving back (the Flammang patent); three-piece lens board
Materials: mahogany body; mahogany base; black fabric bellows; brass hardware
Sizes Offered: #550A=4x5; #551=4¼x5½; #551AB=4¼x6½; #551A=5x7; #551B=5x8; #552=6½x8½; #553=8x10; #554=10x12; #555=11x14; #556=14x17; #557=17x20; #558=20x24; #559=25x30 (1889 #'s 120-132)
Notes:

Scovill / American Optical made a number of of cone or tapered bellows cameras. The following is an excerpt from American Optical/Scovill Back Focus Tapering Bellows Field View Cameras - Chronology and Design detailing the history of Scovill/American Optical camera models of this basic type.

Flammang's Revolving Back View Camera Back Focus Model - Variations:

The revolving back was patented by Mathias Flammang 21 Aug. 1883 (US 283,589), one of many patents granted to Flammang while working for Scovill Mfg. Co. The revolving back could be had either on a back focus or front focus design. It is one of the longest lived Scovill designs, being introduced in 1883 (The Photographic Times and American Photographer, Vol. XIII, No. 149, Scovill Mfg. Co., May 1883, p. 205 ), and carried in catalogs and other advertising literature until approximately 1898.

There are currently at least five variations of Flammang's Revolving Back View Camera Back Focus model, and one counterfeit copy. The differences between the variations are due to 1) push-pull or rack and pinion focus, 2) whether the vertical (forward-back) swing is hinged at the bottom or at the middle of the rear standard, and 3) lacquered brass or nickel-plated brass hardware:

Flammang's Revolving-Back View Camera Back Focus Variation 1.0: 1) push-pull focus having a lever in the rear to secure it, 2) vertical swing hinged at the bottom of the rear standard (as in catalog engravings) and 3) lacquered, draw-filed brass hardware. This is the camera configuration as depicted in the engravings in American Optical/Scovill catalogs and other advertisements.

Flammang's Revolving-Back View Camera Back Focus Variation 1.5: same as Variation 1.0, except that it has rack and pinion focus rather than push-pull focus. Thie example of this Variation also has its label altered to indicate that it was made for W.H. Walmsley & Co. instead of the usual American Optical and Scovill Mfg. Co. label. Additional examples will have to be seen of this variation to know whether the configuration was specified by Walmsley, or whether the variation was already being offered by American Optical.

Flammang's Revolving-Back View Camera Back Focus Variation 2.0: 1) push-pull focus having a lever in the rear to secure it, 2) vertical swing hinged in the middle of the rear standard, and 3) lacquered, draw-filed brass hardware.

Flammang's Revolving-Back View Camera Back Focus Variation 2.1: same as Variation 2.0 (push-pull focus, swing hinged in the middle), except having a device at the rear standard that, when pushed, allows horizontal swing. The example is also later than the Variation 2 examples, in that it was made when American Optical was owned by The Scovill & Adams Co. (after 1889)

Flammang's Revolving-Back View Camera Back Focus Variation 2.2: same as Variation 2.0 (push-pull focus, swing hinged in the middle), except for 3) nickel-plated, polished brass hardware.

Flammang's Revolving-Back View Camera Back Focus Variation 3.0: 1) rack and pinion focus, 2) vertical swing hinged in the middle, and 3) lacquered, draw-filed brass hardware.

Another camera of interest to Flammang's Revolving Back Camera design:
Counterfeit Flammang's Revolving-Back View Camera Back Focus Variation 3.0: a camera which superficially looks like the genuine American Optical Flammang's Revolving Back View Camera Back Focus Variation 3.0, but, in detail, can be seen to have almost every detail and measurement slightly different than a genuine Variation 3.0.

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