Folmer & Schwing Divison, EKC, Banquet View Camera, Wood & Brass, 7x17”, c.1915 For Sale

Folmer & Schwing Divison, EKC, Banquet View Camera, Wood & Brass, 7x17”, c.1915
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Folmer & Schwing Divison, EKC, Banquet View Camera, Wood & Brass, 7x17”, c.1915:
$720.00

Folmer & Schwing Divison, EKC, BanquetView Camera, Wood & Brass, 7x17”, c.1915

Functioning camera in the rare smaller size; looks like auser, ready for shooting.

Model History:

Folmer & Schwing was incorporated in1887, speciallizing in professional cameras rather than amateur cameras. They were purchased by the Eastman Kodak Co.in 1907, after which their cameras were marked “Folmer & Schwing Div.,EKC”, and finally, in 1917, “Folmer & Schwing Dept., EKC”.

In the firstdecades of the 20th century, an ever-increasing number of companies,corporations, school groups and societies wanted photographs of gatherings oremployees. Speciallized cameras like Folmer& Schwing’s Banquet View Camera were designed to capture suchphotographs, which tended to be much wider than tall (hence the sizes 7x17” or12x20”). The camera also has relativelylarge front rise and an extra bellows to provide a large front tilt downwardsto better focus on the whole group.Such a camera was useless except to a professional photographer, sothese cameras are rarer than the amateur cameras of the era. Such a camera was expected to be well used,if not used up, and Folmer & Schwing made a substantial, solid, heavy-duty,well made camera designed to hold up to professional abuse.

In that theF&S Banquet View Camera was first made ~1915 and the label would have read“Folmer & Schwing Dept.” after ~1917, we can date this camera’s manufacture to about 1915-1917. It has an assembly number (25) on the facingsurfaces of the base and front extension.

The camera isfront and rear focus. For bothstandards, a large thumbscrew on the left connects to rack and pinion gears tocrank the standard forward or backward, while a similar thumbscrew on the righttightens or sets the focus. The focusis smooth and easy, a hallmark of F&S cameras. There is a full-length celluloid strip on the right side of thebase to be used as an aid to focus, but there is a lack of markings on saidstrip that appears to be original to its manufacture (at least no remnants ofmarkings can be seen, whereas the markings on a similar strip for rise movementare clear and not worn at all).Apparently, the photographers were expected to make their own markings.

There is a frontextension that folds up for storage.There is a unique and useful brass clasp that catches a screw on theinside of the base frame; it required a section of wood to be removed from thebase; F&S went to a lot of expense for functionality. The two sections of base are held together bya full-width piano-like hinge (more proof of F&S’s commitment to making thecamera bomb-proof and long-lasting).The thumbscrew that fixes the two base parts together is a clever,spring-loaded design that instantly moves the screw out of the way whenever theparts are detached. It must have beenmuch more expensive to produce than a plain screw. F&S really went all out for design and functionality despitethe cost.

Unusual for aview camera, the back is fixed – there is no use for this wide format to bemade vertical.

As mentioned,there is a great rise movement, about 5”, and a celluloid strip marked ininches.

There is asecond set of bellows, made to allow about about 20 degrees of front tilt; theslotted brass hardware that controls it is marked in degrees.

The finalmovement is a side to side swing of the back standard, held by two brassthumbscrews underneath the standard.

It has a tripodsocket that fits modern tripods.

The back of the camera is spring loaded, the film holder slipping underneath. The back fits a modern Kodak-type profile. No film holders come with thecamera. Note that the Gunlach-ManhattanCo. made a 7x17” Panoramic View Camera, but that Gundlach-Manhattan filmholders are not the same size as those required for this camera - only the 7x17\" Folmer &Schwing or Eastman Kodak film holder fits exactly. F&S and EKC 7x17\" film holders are occasionallyoffered on , and can also be custom-made. Ilford currently still makes 7x17” film, so if you want to take photos, at leastyou have a source of film.

Materials and Condition:

The base of thiscamera is cherry. The remainder isfine-grained, light mahogany. Thiscamera appears to have been recently restored, in that the wood appears to bevarnished rather than lacquered, and the varnish is clear and slightly lighterthan would have been the original finish.The wood finish has been done very well, possibly professionally; it is a nice, smooth, new-looking coat.. There doesn’t appear to be any storage dingsor wear, so the camera perhaps has not been used since the restoration.

The hardware isunlacquered brass, as original. I don’tthink it has been touched during the restoration, just disassembled andreassembled. All the hardware ispresent and functioning as designed.

The bellows areblack vinyl and appear to be brand new.I would be greatly surprised if they had a light leak, but I didn’t testthem.

It still has theoriginal leather handle.

It comes with adrilled lens board but no lens. Kodaklists two 10¼” B&L lenses (wide angles) aspossibilities for this camera.The longest focal length lens that could be focused is about 16”.

The ground glassis present and in perfect condition.

The camera mayhave a small collection number “LP951”.This is reversible; if desired, mineral spirits will remove the number(which is a small piece of paper attached with and covered by Soluvar,an archival but soluble varnish used by museums to attach their numbers)without affecting the finish of the camera.

Lens: No lens comes with the camera.

Size:

~16½” long in operation, ~5” long when folded x ~19” wide x13½” high.

Shipping weight:14lb 10oz; Box size: 23x14x14”

Domestic Shipping: USPS as calculated

Shipping to USA and Canada only.



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