Eastman Kodak Co., Rochester, NY
Century Universal
Date Introduced: ; Years
Manufactured: 1931 to at least 1938
Construction: front
focus via rack and pinion with gears internal
to base; rear focus by sliding brace;
double swing; front rise and fall and tilt;
reversing by removable back; three-piece lens board
Materials:
walnut-stained straight-grained cherry wood bodyand
base; darkened nickel-plated brass
hardware
Sizes Offered: 8x10 (a
5x7 reducing back was available)
Notes: This is the
ultimate English-style camera design (probably mostly borrowed from
Deardorf, but owing much to the earlier English and Rochester Optical
Co. designs), which is probably second only to modern rail designs in
adjustments. Because of its utility, this model is still avidly
sought by users, thereby driving up the price well beyond its value to
history collectors. The Century name was revived for this
camera (the Century Camera Co. having been bought decades earlier by
EKC), despite the fact that neither the Century Camera Co. nor its
successor division at EKC ever produced a camera of this design before.
An interesting question is how the camera was advertised in the George
Murphy catalog 3 years before it showed in the catalog of the
manufacturer.
References:
Photographic Materials, Mail Order Catalog No.
131,
George Murphy, Inc. (New York, NY), April 1931, p.
27
Professional and Commercial Photographic Apparatus and Sundries, Folmer
Graflex Corp. (Rochester, NY), 1932, p. 22-25
Catalogue No. 42 of Cameras, Kodaks, Lenses and Photographic Accessories
1932-33,
Central Camera Co. (Chicago, IL), p. 42
Catalog of
Eastman Professional
Photographic Apparatus and Materials,
Eastman Kodak Co. (Rochester, NY),
1934-1935, p. 15
Catalog of
Eastman Professional
Photographic Apparatus and Materials,
Eastman Kodak Co. (Rochester, NY),
1935-1936, p. 11
Catalog of
Eastman Professional
Photographic Apparatus and Materials,
Eastman Kodak Co. (Rochester, NY),
1936-1937, p. 11
Professional Photographic Equipment, Catalogue No. 36, Eastman
Kodak Stores, Inc. (St. Paul, MN), c.1936, p. 7
Professional Photographic Apparatus, Folmer Graflex Corp.
(Rochester, NY), Aug. 1, 1937, pp. 14-16
Catalogue
of Eastman Professional
Photographic Apparatus and Materials,
Eastman Kodak Co.
(Rochester, NY), 1938, p. 10
