Treasures in Your Attic: A look at cameras

Dear A. J. R.: Today, everyone seems to have some sort of camera and personal photography is almost as commonplace as bathing. However, this was not the case during most of the 19th century.

During the late 18th and early 19th centuries, scientific pioneers had been trying to produce photographs, but it was not until January, 1839 that two men announced independently that they had perfected the process in two different ways. On January 7th, Louis Jacques Mande Daguerre revealed his process for creating photographs on specially prepared copper plates, and on the 25th of that same month, William Henry Fox Talbot unveiled his method for making photographs on paper.

Neither of these processes was designed so that mom and pop could take countless headless, out of focus photos of their trip to the Grand Canyon. These early processes were designed for professionals (or wealthy dabblers) who were willing to carry around a wagon load of equipment and spend large amounts of time learning and perfecting the art of picture taking.

Personal, home photography had to wait for the late 19th century and one of the pioneers in the field was the Eastman Dry Plate and Film Company (Eastman Kodak Company) of Rochester, New York. In 1888, they marketed a camera made for them by Frank Brownell that was called the "Kodak."

It came loaded with 100 exposures, and when all of these were taken the camera was returned to Eastman for processing. Some of these early cameras can be quite rare and fairly valuable. But, as personal photography and its related equipment became more popular and user friendly, cameras became much more commonplace and those that have survived to this day have (with the exception of rare, high quality units) a relatively modest value.

The No. 4 Cartridge Kodak camera was introduced in 1897 and was made for about ten years until 1907. The "cartridge" in the name refers to the roll film this camera used, which was an innovation introduced for this photographic equipment.

It used Eastman's 104 roll film, and A. J. R. included the company's instructions for developing which involved using pyrogallic and sulfuric acid. These sound absolutely deadly. When it was new, this was a handsome device with leather covered exterior, polished wood interior, and spiffy red bellows.

Now, the interior looks relatively good, but the exterior is rough and missing its carrying handle. It is reported that when this camera was first made, it cost a not inconsiderable $25, but almost 100 years later, the current insurance replacement value on an example in this condition is only between $75 and $100.

Helaine Fendelman and Joe Rosson are the authors of the "Price It Yourself" (HarperResource, $19.95). Questions can by mailed to them at PO Box 12208, Knoxville, TN 37912-0208.