Seneca Camera Mfg. Co.

Catalog Covers

Seneca Camera Mfg. Co., Rochester, NY

Seneca was a major manufacturer of cameras in the period 1900-1920's.  They produced a yearly catalog starting in about 1900, which were apparently identified internally by letter, starting with A.  Some catalogs are dated with a copyright, some are marked with  their letter designations, some have both, and some have no indication of year or letter. The letters and years generally would seem to indicate about one catalog a year, but not exactly.

Obviously, they relied extensively on their namesake, the Seneca tribe of the New York area, for inspiration.  As a part-Pamunky and Patawomeck, my favorite is the deco-ish 1906, whereas the years 1917-1919 are especially offensive, where the buckskin-clad brave snaps a shot of his canoe (perhaps this is a subtle jest at all the automobile photos taken by European Americans) or the maiden getting a shot of a couple of cowboys and their horses (New York cowboys?).  They are a product of their times, as are we all.

copyright 1906 (F?)
copyright 1907 (G?)
copyright 1908 (H?)
copyright 1909 (I?)
Catalog J, copyright 1910 (both marked)
Catalog K (1911?)
Catalog L, copyright 1912 (both marked)
Catalog M, copyright 1913 (both marked)
Catalog N (1914?)
Catalog O (1915?)
Catalog P (1916?)
Catalog Q (1917?)
Catalog R (1918?)
Catalog S (1919?)
Catalog T, copyright 1919
Catalog U (1921?  This catalog was found with a letter dated April, 1921 referring to this as their 1921 catalog)
Catalog V (1922?)