American Optical 4x5 Dry Plate Camera
date: label: date made
content: 1884
name: label: maker
content: American Optical Company
notes: label: Description
content: This American Optical Company camera was made by Scovill Manufacturing Company, New York, circa 1884. It is a wooden bellows 4 x 5” plate view camera for use on a camera stand or field tripod. Photographers used the wet-plate collodion process to prepare glass plates, inserting each into a plate holder before attaching to the camera back. Once the image was exposed through the lens to the glass plate, photographers needed to quickly develop and fix the photograph in the darkroom, readying for making paper prints.
label: Description
content: From its invention in 1839, the camera has evolved to fit many needs, from aerial to underwater photography and everything in between. Cameras allow both amateur and professional photographers to capture the world around us. The Smithsonian’s historic camera collection includes rare and unique examples of equipment, and popular models, related to the history of the science, technology, and art of photography.
setName: label: See more items in
content: Work and Industry: Photographic History
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content: Photography
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content: Artifact Walls exhibit
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Gift of James R. Burton
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: PG.004626A
label: accession number
content: 183884
label: catalog number
content: 4626A
objectType: label: Object Name
content: camera, view
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: wood (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: metal (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: glass (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 17 cm x 16 cm x 25 cm; 6 11/16 in x 6 5/16 in x 9 13/16 in