Flammang’s Revolving Back Stereo Camera

Flammang’s Revolving Back Stereo Camera. c.1889

American Optical Company, Scovill Mfg. Co., NY.

Back in 2002 while visiting another collector, I noticed a stereo version of Mathias Flammang’s classic 1880s Patent Revolving Back field camera. I knew it was special. Not only was the 5 x 8” format camera completely original with an astonishingly unusual wood & brass stereo shutter and functioning single-lens Bausch & Lomb shutter, the overall condition was excellent. Fast forward twenty years and the outfit finally joined my collection.

In reviewing Flammang’s field cameras in various catalogues, no stereo models were listed. Even today, using advanced online search tools, the camera and stereo shutter remain defiant. Nothing.

Dominating the camera’s front is the ebonized, rounded-rectangular shaped shutter mounted on a pair of early Scovill Waterbury lenses; correct optics for this camera. It is unlike anything I have owned or seen throughout decades of collecting and research.

Nevertheless, shutter operation is simple. Setting is done by turning a thin wood panel [the shutter blade] 180 degrees counterclockwise until the end of a long flat-spring sets into a small brass bracket. Gently pushing forward on the spring’s end – a fingertip is all it takes – releases the shutter blade. Powered by a tensioned coiled spring, the blade spins like a frenzied propeller which briefly uncovers the lenses for an instantaneous exposure. The surprisingly quick rotation could probably julienne vegetables.

While the front-focusing body pattern is nearly identical to single lens models, there are areas where the construction is a little more robust: An extra pair of brass brackets reinforce the front standard’s lowermost corners. The top of the removable rotating ground-glass back is held light-tight against the body by a hefty pair of factory-made brass clamps and thumbscrews. And securely holding the bottom are a pair of heavy-gauge curled brass springs.

Stereo version of Flammang’s patent revolving back camera with unique wood & brass stereo shutter and single lens mounted in an early brass shutter.

Rear of camera showing a removeable variation of Flammang’s patented rotating back.

Front view showing the shutter’s rotational movement.

Why is a reversable and removeable back needed when Mathias Flammang already patented a rotating ground glass frame for making portrait and landscape-oriented pictures? My belief is that a format-reduction back was being considered as an accessory.

Perhaps this camera is not supposed to exist. No serial or build-lot numbers are stamped into the wood. Yet all details, including the maker’s metal identification plate, are correct. Furthermore, the front standard’s build details match single-lens designs; it is simply wider for a stereo lens board. High-quality construction, minor wear, and light tripod markings suggest this is not a prototype but a working camera.

Regardless, AOC had a history of accepting custom camera orders. Could this be an example? Or maybe it was a factory trial to assess a stereo model. At some point, I hope to find a primary reference revealing the camera’s secrets.

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Antique & 19th Century Cameras

Antique & 19th Century Cameras