[LargeFormat] The Graphic Antiquarian

[Richard Knoppow]

----- Original Message -----
From: "Les Newcomer" <lnphoto@twmi.rr.com>
To: <largeformat@f32.net>
Sent: Friday, September 27, 2002 12:23 PM
Subject: Re: [LargeFormat] The Graphic Antiquarian


> I suspect this book "History of Rochester NY  Cameras and
lens Companies
> is a rehash of a speech given in 1974 and found on the
web, but I went
> ahead and ordered a copy through ABE.
> Here's what I have on the subject.
>
> "The folmer and Schwing Mfg.Co. was manufacturing
iluminating goods and
> novelties, located at 271 Canal Street, and put in a
photographic trade as
> a side line during the summer of 1891. During the years
1895-1896 we had
> the Scoville and Adams Co. make a number of special
cameras to order,
> being improvements upon their then existing model known as
the Henry Clay.
>   Mathias Flammang, being their super-intendant at the
Waterbury factory
> knew of these special cameras....left Scovil.....solicited
orders from us.
> .... this continuted until the fall of 1897.
> During the fall of 1897 we wquipped our own manufacturing
plant,  loacted
> at 167 to 171 Elm St. New York City. (By) 1903 the factory
moved to 407
> Broome St where we remained until the spring of 1905 when
we were aquired
> by the EKc.
> (Signed) W. F. Folmer, Manager"
>
> Letter dated Dec 3, 1912.   I've omitted some of the minor
details, but at
> no time does Mr. Folmer even hint at a bicycle
manufacturing business.  I'
> m suspicious that they may have been an agent, but as of
yet cannot find
> an advertisment, catalog or handbill suggesting such.
>
> I have a copy of an 1884 F&S catalog showing the gas
fixtures, I also know
> of an 1889 catalog although I have seen it personally.
> On Thursday, September 26, 2002, at 10:18 PM, Richard
Knoppow wrote:
>
> >
> >   The history of Graflex is covered pretty well by
Rudolf
> > Kingslake in his little book_ The History of Rochester,
N.Y.
> > Camera and Lens Companies_ published by George Eastman
> > House.
> >   Graflex started out as Folmer & Schwing in lower
> > Manhattan. Their original business was making gas
lighting
> > fixtures. At some point, probably when the city became
> > increasingly electrified, they switched to making
bicycles,
> > which were introduced in the 1880's and had a tremendous
> > vogue despite being enormously expensive. F&S got into
the
> > camera business by selling cameras as accessories for
> > bicycle touring. After a time F&H began making their own
> > cameras. It is from this that the term "cycle camera"
comes,
> > meaning a camera portable enough to take with you on a
> > bicycle. The bicycle craze ran its course and F&H then
> > dropped them and concentrated on cameras. Folmer
patented a
> > type of single lens reflex about 1892. The original had
a
> > rather complex shutter which proved to be somewhat
> > unreliable so he designed a much simpler one,
essentially
> > the one used ever afterward on Graflex and Speed Graphic
> > cameras.
> >   The company was bought by Kodak about 1905 but sold
again
> > in the 1920's as the result of anti-trust action against
> > Kodak. However, the two companies continued to have a
close
> > relationship afterward. Graflex built a number of
Eastman
> > and Kodak cameras, including the popular Kodak 2D view
> > camera, the Century series of studio and view cameras,
and
> > others.
> >   I haven't checked the dates above against Kingslake's
book
> > so they may be slightly off but not by much.
> >
> >
> >
   The book is an expanded version of the printed lecture
which can be found on the web. You can probably still order
the book directly from George Eastman House, they have a web
site.
 I will quote some of Kingslake:

  In 1887 William F. folmer (1861 - 1936) and William E.
Schwing entered into partnership to establish a
metal-working company at 391 Broadway in New York City.
their first catalog, issued in 1889, showed a wide range of
gas lighting fixtures and chandeliers, brass pipe fittings
and stoves. In April 1890 they were incorporated as the
Folmer & Schwing Manufacturing Company, with a capital stock
of $50,000.
  After a few years the company moved to 271 Canal Street in
New York, where they made bicycles. As was usual at the
time, these sold for one hundred dollars, a fantastic sum
roughly equivalent to several thousand dollars today.
Because of the general association of cameras with bicycles,
the company gradually added cameras to their line, probably
made first by Scovill and Adams, and also by a man named
Flammang. their 1896 bicycle catalog shows a 4x5 Cycle
Graphic camera on the back page. This sold for twenty-five
dollars equipped with a Victor shutter and a Rapid
Rectilinear lens, both made by Bausch & Lomb. They also
listed other Graphic caemras in sizes up to 6x8 inches, at
fifty dollars.  Their 1897 catalog included other
photographic items such as stereopticons and sets of lantern
slides.
  Kingslake goes on to say that Folmer manufactured his
first reflex camera, the Graflex, in 1898. It used a complex
and not too reliable shutter. The shutter was replaced by
the much simpler form used ever after in 1904. In 1905 the
company was bought by Eastman Kodak and moved to Rochester.
  Kodak owned it until 1926. They could not find a buyer so
set it up as an independant company under the name Folmer
Graflex Company. In 1946 it became Graflex Inc. The company
was sold several times in later years, the Graflex name
pretty much disappearing after its purchase by Singer.
  Anyone who has priced an up-market bicycle lately would
agree on the prices being "fantastic".
---
Richard Knoppow
Los Angeles, CA, USA
dickburk@ix.netcom.com