Photos of an Antique Daguerreotype Camera(?)

I found this old camera in the Charleston Museum

On a recent tour of the Charleston Museum, I spotted this old camera — labeled as a Daguerreotype camera — in a display case. I’m very interested in the Daguerreotype process right now, having recently written several podcast episodes and blog posts about it. According to the tag in the display case, this old camera was manufactured in New York in 1870, which was well after the golden age of Daguerreotypes had passed, and wet plate negatives were the standard.

However, an expert has recently contacted me, claiming that the dates are wrong and that it wasn’t even really a Daguerreotype camera at all.

Maybe it’s not really a Daguerreotype camera after all

UPDATE July, 2021: I received a message from Larry Pierce, an expert in antique cameras, claiming that this was not a Daguerreotype camera at all, but rather was a copying or enlarging camera. Mr. Pierce sent a detailed message citing several reasons why this camera is incorrectly identified, including the fact that it has three compartments or “standards,” a hallmark of copy cameras. He said the date of this camera would be circa 1890s, the dry plate era — a detail supported by the inclusion of a cellulose identification label on the camera, seen in photos two and three below. Mr. Pierce said the Anthony company would have used metallic labels in the 1870s.

I truly enjoy hearing from people who can provide more context, further supporting details, or in this case — a correction.

Mr. Pierce maintains an authoritative and comprehensive website called Wooden Field View Cameras of the United States: 1870’s-1930’s. If you’re interested in historic cameras, it’s required reading.

Daguerreotype camera, c. 1870 Manufactured by E & HT Anthony and Company, New York. It was the first company to develop and patent a roll-film holder that could be loaded in daylight conditions. Was this camera misidentified?

The lens (with cap on) the Daguerreotype camera, c. 1870, Manufactured by E & HT Anthony and Company, New York. This camera was manufactured after the golden age of Daguerreotypes had passed. Expert Larry Pierce says it wasn’t a Daguerreotype camera at all.

Another view of the lens of the old Daguerreotype camera held on display in the Museum of Charleston. — Another view of the lens of the old Daguerreotype camera held on display in the Charleston Museum.

Side view of the old camera in the Museum of Charleston. It was manufactured by E & HT Anthony and Company, New York in 1870. This image clearly shows the standards, which expert Larry Pierce says are a hallmark of copy cameras, not Daguerreotype cameras.

A look at the ground glass focus screen on the rear of the camera.

Listen to my podcast episode about America’s great Daguerreotype artists, Southworth and Hawes

Learn more about Daguerreotypes

I own this book and it’s a very thorough exploration of the history and conservation of Daguerreotype photographs. Buy a copy on Amazon.

The Daguerreotype: Nineteenth-Century Technology and Modern Science, by M. Susan Barger and William B. White. Available on Amazon.

Thanks for reading.

Be sure to visit me on Facebook, Instagram or Pinterest, or on my website at keithdotson.com.

~ Keith

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