Workings of a Camera

The image to the left highlights the main components of a mid 19th century camera.

Click on the labels to learn more.

The cameras below are a sample used between 1870-1960, and are found in the Scott-Sefton Collection at the Elgin County Museum.

Jumbo Camera

This camera was made by the E. H. and T. Anthony Company and is most likely a View and Portrait Box Camera. It was the standard studio camera of the era and it came in 8 different sizes – this one being a #22 (8 x 10) and made between 1872 – 1885.
Other sizes include:
#20 (4.25 x 6.5), #21 (6.5 x 8.5), #23 (10 x 12), #24 (11x 14), #25 (14 x 17), #26 (17 x 20), #27 (18 x 22)

In 1985, Cliff Sefton identified this camera as the one used by T. H. Scott to take the photographs of Jumbo following the fatal collision. While dry plate photography was available, Sefton maintained that Scott used wet plates brought from the studio and then hastily returned for developing.

The Century Camera Company was founded in 1900, in Rochester New York (note the stamp below). This company eventually became part of the Kodak company. They produced a wide range in sizes, this one being one of the biggest, at 11x14 inches.

This camera would have been used in Thomas Scott's time, to take group shots, or landscapes, due to its large size.

The Grover Camera was produced in Chicago. This camera could be used to take more artistic photographs as it was on a rail system. It had the ability to tilt and swing, so the photographer could take the perfect shot.

This ad is from the Burke and James Catalogue for 1942. Click on it for more information.

This camera was used to take many school class photographs from the late 1940s on. It came with a tripod, carrying case (with seat) and blackboard, allowing Murray Scott (and later the Sefton's) to take numerous shots with ease.

The blackboard and the camera label had the same serial number, 2417, which was used to identify the Scott negatives when they arrived at the company's lab in Kansas City, Missouri.

With the mouse "open" the camera below and see how it works using the manual to the right.

Studio Camera with Stand

This camera and stand was a fixture in the studio for a number of years and is from the Century Camera Company
(also see Century Camera above)

The stand is a Semi-Centennial No. 1, which was produced in the early 1900s.