Late 19th-Century French Mahogany and Brass Large-Format Field Camera - 13½"

A late 19th-century French large-format field camera in mahogany and brass, this substantial instrument features deep oxblood bellows, a brass barrel lens, and a sliding bed with rack-and-pinion focusing. The mahogany body is reinforced with brass strapping and knurled screws, and fitted with a small carry handle. The rear ground glass frame and adjustable standards allowed precise composition and focusing on glass plates. Surfaces show a warm patina, with scattered scratches to the wood, oxidation to the brass, and gentle fading to the bellows, consistent with age and use. Such cameras were used by professional studio and traveling photographers during the era of glass-plate photography in the late nineteenth century. The mahogany body provided stability, while the extended bellows shielded the plate from stray light during exposure. As a sculptural object, it lends depth and character to a library, artist’s studio, or entry console. Style it on a pedestal beside framed sepia prints, or anchor a bookshelf vignette with its handsome mass and burnished tones.