Scovill And Adams Waterbury Tailboard Camera With Lens AND Darlot Wide
Item History & Price
| Reference Number: Avaluer:29101183 | Model: Waterbury |
| Color: Natural Wood | Type: Tailboard Field Camera |
| Brand: Scovill and Adams |
For those of you who have looked at my listings, you will notice that I have had a Darlot Wide Angle Hemispherical lens on a home made lens board. Well, I was contacted by the person that I purchased the lens from and this person had the camera that it went to. I can now offer you and amazing, two lens 19th Century camera outfit.
I am so happy to be able to offer you this great outfit. It is a Scovill and Adams Waterbury Tailboard style field camera in the original... 5"x8" format. This is THE CLASSIC American tailboard design field camera. This camera will date from the mid to late 1880's. This camera has the original "Waterbury Lens" with the rotating aperture wheel. This lens is attached to the original lens board and has what appears to be a very old home made lens cap. It also comes with the rare Darlot Wide Angle Hemispherical lens with it's original lens cap.
The camera itself is in pretty good condition. It does show it's age though. Although I am not certain this is an "issue", the center rail on the tailboard can be lifted out. It does not show any sign of any type of glue being used to hold it in place. I am guessing that it is held in place with pressure, but I am not going to state that for 100% certainty, as I don't know for sure. The bellows on this camera do have some issues. As seen in the images, there are what appear to be some bleached out, or heavily faded spots on the top of the camera and an area that shows insect damage to the bellows on the side. I am not certain if the ground glass has been replaced or not, but one of the retaining nails for the ground glass has been replaced at some point in the past with a staple.
Everything on the camera itself works as it should. The rear standard slides in and out for focusing. The rear tilt works fine. The front rise also works fine. The camera also does fold up as intended without issue. Both tripod mounts are still there and are solid.
This camera has it's original Waterbury lens with the built in aperture wheel. This aperture wheel turns to let the photographer vary the amount of light that enters the camera. This was the way they controlled the exposure times and, to an extent, the depth of field. There is a leather lined, metal lens cap that appears to be a home made, replacement lens cap. It fits quite well and really looks pretty good on this camera. The lens is original and has the serial number of 116166. The light dampening lining on the taking end of the lens does some some wear as does the aperture wheel. It has some sort of corrosion or something on it. It does still work as it should though. The lens is the original "No. B Waterbury Lens with Revolving Diaphragm".
The other lens that is included with this camera is the famous, and rare Darlot "Hemispherical" wide angle lens from Paris, France. It is described in the Scovill catalog as having a 90 degree view (fielf of view). The barrel of the lens is also stamped B.F. & Co. This means that this lens was imported into the United States by Benjamin French & Co. BF & Co. was the only official importer of Darlot lenses. This lens will date from the 1880's. This lens is the No. 3 lens. It has a five inch focus and will cover a "full plate" - 6.5x8.5 inches film format. The lens also has three lever diaphragms. They are numbered 3, 5 and 7.
This lens does have some issues that need to be pointed out. The number 3 lever diaphragm is a bit stiff, but it does work. The overall finish on this lens is worn. There is brassing and paint missing. Inside of the front of the lens, it appears that there is some sort of weird corrosion, almost like what you would expect to see on metal that is exposed to the salt air on the coast. I have seen this on other examples online when researching this lens. I am guessing it has something to do with the metal used or paint used on the inside of the front of the lens. It could easily be covered with a touch of flat black paint or something similar, if desired. The glass is good. It is a bit dirty, but that is all. I am not sure about cleaning lenses this old, so I am not touching it. The lens is mounted on an old, but home made lens board. It is just a hair more snug than the original lens board, but does fit. The lensboard is painted black on all sides and does have some surface gouge marks on both sides. There is a white stain of some sort on the back side. Believe it or not, the black lens board looks quite well on this camera. It is complimented nicely by the black bellows and by the black paint that shows in the rise and fall area of the front standard.
As best as I can tell this camera is the Waterbury Variation type 1. The reasoning for believing that are as follows:
1. This camera has the hinge that is stamped "Patented October 20, 1885".2. The tailboard is stamped Scovill and Adams.3. The hardware is the "scalloped" type of hardware.4. The only indicator of a serial number is the number 2 on the inside of the ground glass back. This is possibly an internal manufacturing number.
The variation type 2 is the most common, which makes this a more desirable camera to add to your collection.
Bottom line, this is a classic 19th Century camera. This camera appears to have seen a fair amount of use over the decades. It does have a few issues, but those issues do not make it a "bad or undesirable" camera. It is still a very collectible camera in every way. Take a look on ebay, you will only find one, maybe two other Scovill Waterbury cameras for sale right now. Try finding the additional Darlot Hemispherical lens with the three lever diaphragms for a reasonable price. Actually, try finding one at all. This is a rare to very rare camera outfit.
Please, please, please look at the images for issues and quality. I also beg of you to please ask me any questions that you have and please ask for any additional images that you might need. I want you to be 100% certain that this is the camera for you. I want you to be happy. I only ship to United States addresses. If you are able to pick the camera outfit up (local pick up), I will refund what would have been paid by me for shipping the camera. All of the shipping costs are included in the purchase price. Due to the rarity of this outfit, it will be professionally packed and will be insured for the purchase value (all included in the price). I want to personally thank you for taking the time to looking at this listing and I appreciate your interest.
I am so happy to be able to offer you this great outfit. It is a Scovill and Adams Waterbury Tailboard style field camera in the original... 5"x8" format. This is THE CLASSIC American tailboard design field camera. This camera will date from the mid to late 1880's. This camera has the original "Waterbury Lens" with the rotating aperture wheel. This lens is attached to the original lens board and has what appears to be a very old home made lens cap. It also comes with the rare Darlot Wide Angle Hemispherical lens with it's original lens cap.
The camera itself is in pretty good condition. It does show it's age though. Although I am not certain this is an "issue", the center rail on the tailboard can be lifted out. It does not show any sign of any type of glue being used to hold it in place. I am guessing that it is held in place with pressure, but I am not going to state that for 100% certainty, as I don't know for sure. The bellows on this camera do have some issues. As seen in the images, there are what appear to be some bleached out, or heavily faded spots on the top of the camera and an area that shows insect damage to the bellows on the side. I am not certain if the ground glass has been replaced or not, but one of the retaining nails for the ground glass has been replaced at some point in the past with a staple.
Everything on the camera itself works as it should. The rear standard slides in and out for focusing. The rear tilt works fine. The front rise also works fine. The camera also does fold up as intended without issue. Both tripod mounts are still there and are solid.
This camera has it's original Waterbury lens with the built in aperture wheel. This aperture wheel turns to let the photographer vary the amount of light that enters the camera. This was the way they controlled the exposure times and, to an extent, the depth of field. There is a leather lined, metal lens cap that appears to be a home made, replacement lens cap. It fits quite well and really looks pretty good on this camera. The lens is original and has the serial number of 116166. The light dampening lining on the taking end of the lens does some some wear as does the aperture wheel. It has some sort of corrosion or something on it. It does still work as it should though. The lens is the original "No. B Waterbury Lens with Revolving Diaphragm".
The other lens that is included with this camera is the famous, and rare Darlot "Hemispherical" wide angle lens from Paris, France. It is described in the Scovill catalog as having a 90 degree view (fielf of view). The barrel of the lens is also stamped B.F. & Co. This means that this lens was imported into the United States by Benjamin French & Co. BF & Co. was the only official importer of Darlot lenses. This lens will date from the 1880's. This lens is the No. 3 lens. It has a five inch focus and will cover a "full plate" - 6.5x8.5 inches film format. The lens also has three lever diaphragms. They are numbered 3, 5 and 7.
This lens does have some issues that need to be pointed out. The number 3 lever diaphragm is a bit stiff, but it does work. The overall finish on this lens is worn. There is brassing and paint missing. Inside of the front of the lens, it appears that there is some sort of weird corrosion, almost like what you would expect to see on metal that is exposed to the salt air on the coast. I have seen this on other examples online when researching this lens. I am guessing it has something to do with the metal used or paint used on the inside of the front of the lens. It could easily be covered with a touch of flat black paint or something similar, if desired. The glass is good. It is a bit dirty, but that is all. I am not sure about cleaning lenses this old, so I am not touching it. The lens is mounted on an old, but home made lens board. It is just a hair more snug than the original lens board, but does fit. The lensboard is painted black on all sides and does have some surface gouge marks on both sides. There is a white stain of some sort on the back side. Believe it or not, the black lens board looks quite well on this camera. It is complimented nicely by the black bellows and by the black paint that shows in the rise and fall area of the front standard.
As best as I can tell this camera is the Waterbury Variation type 1. The reasoning for believing that are as follows:
1. This camera has the hinge that is stamped "Patented October 20, 1885".2. The tailboard is stamped Scovill and Adams.3. The hardware is the "scalloped" type of hardware.4. The only indicator of a serial number is the number 2 on the inside of the ground glass back. This is possibly an internal manufacturing number.
The variation type 2 is the most common, which makes this a more desirable camera to add to your collection.
Bottom line, this is a classic 19th Century camera. This camera appears to have seen a fair amount of use over the decades. It does have a few issues, but those issues do not make it a "bad or undesirable" camera. It is still a very collectible camera in every way. Take a look on ebay, you will only find one, maybe two other Scovill Waterbury cameras for sale right now. Try finding the additional Darlot Hemispherical lens with the three lever diaphragms for a reasonable price. Actually, try finding one at all. This is a rare to very rare camera outfit.
Please, please, please look at the images for issues and quality. I also beg of you to please ask me any questions that you have and please ask for any additional images that you might need. I want you to be 100% certain that this is the camera for you. I want you to be happy. I only ship to United States addresses. If you are able to pick the camera outfit up (local pick up), I will refund what would have been paid by me for shipping the camera. All of the shipping costs are included in the purchase price. Due to the rarity of this outfit, it will be professionally packed and will be insured for the purchase value (all included in the price). I want to personally thank you for taking the time to looking at this listing and I appreciate your interest.
