The Blair Companies
Field View Cameras
Blair Tourograph Co., CT
(1879-1881) Blair Patents: Scans of number
of catalogs can be found
here.
Scans of Blair catalogs are
here. It may be noted
that Blair, among camera manufacturers, appears to have the largest
percentage of cameras having listed variations. Thomas Blair, or
any of his associates, was apparently a consummate tinkerer, constantly
changing, and hopefully improving the mechanics of the cameras being
produced. It sometimes seems an axiom that no two Blair cameras
were ever made exactly alike. A corollary seems to be that if you
find two or more Blair cameras made exactly alike, they are not made as
illustrated or described in the catalog literature (e.g., the
Utility Camera). 
Blair Tourograph & Dry Plate Co., Boston, MA (1881-1886)
Blair Camera Co., Boston, MA (1885-1899)
Boston Camera Co. (1888-1890, bought by Blair Camera Co. in 1890)
1890: Blair bought Anthony factories - cameras for both companies made
in the same building but different rooms
Blair Div., Eastman Kodak Co., Boston, MA & Rochester, NY (1899-c.1910)
#159,536; Feb 9, 1875: endless belt instead of rack & pinion focus
#243,136; Jun 21, 1881: reversible adapter plate holder
(original patentee: J. Milton Howe). This patent was also used by
American Optical/Scovill.
#277,787; May 15, 1883 (also used by Scovill): blackboard (to
write on) slide for plate holder
#304,406; Sep 2, 1884: spring activated camera back and plate holder
with flap and recess
#860,249; Mar 29, 1887: camera contained in a case, like hand & stands
(but the
Lucidograph
was produced earlier)
#428,448; May 20, 1890; detective camera, essentially the Hawkeye
