Many members are involved in research into various camera makers and photographic history – if you can help with information, please get in touch with them, or if you would like to request help for your research please send us your request and we will add it to this page.
George Lawrence and the Mammoth Camera – (or how the west was done)
The MAMMOTH camera of 1900 is credited as being the World’s largest ever camera – it was gigantic, but the ‘facts’ that it was used to photograph the Alton Limited trains using the biggest ever (plate) negative are highly suspect. I am researching to try to establish IF the camera took the photos, or, as is entirely feasible, the Mammoth was merely a prop, with a large plate camera used inside the oversized frame and bellows to take the photos.
The MAMMOTH was used as a copy camera (as noted in the June 1906 issue of ‘Popular Mechanics’) and given that there are known period prints of the train photos in both 90 inch wide and 39 inch wide versions, this would indicate that a large/whole plate negative was used via the MAMMOTH to produce different sized prints – ie the negative was not the size that was claimed at the time (8 foot by 4 foot 8 inches).
If you have any information or magazine articles regarding the Mammoth please get in touch. Better still if you know of the whereabouts of the camera PLEASE get in touch. Recent false sightings include a very large HUNTER PENROSE copy camera spotted in Saltaire, West Yorkshire (UK) and another located in Australia!
I look forward to hearing from you – Timothy Campbell (PCCGB member 2453)
Email: timminox@yahoo.co.uk
Ensign Multex: Research Survey
I am asking for information on as many Ensign Multex cameras as I can in order to collect data which I hope will help us to understand more about the timeline of camera production and the variations of the cameras that were made. I have provided a form (here) to collect information on your camera. This is a Word file, but I’m also to accept the same information in the text of an email if that is easier.
This survey was started because when I examined my own Multex cameras I discovered a couple of surprises which made me think the production of the camera was more complicated than I had thought. So, for example, the are chrome cameras with exposure counters going up to 14 (as expected) and 12 (a surprise), and there are chrome Multex cameras with a top speed of 1000th (as expected) and 500th (a surprise). There are black cameras with no serial number. There are a large number of Multex Model II, but they appear not to be engraved as such.
So, when you are completing the survey please forget what you know about the camera and check each detail on the actual camera.
If you have any questions about the survey I’d be very pleased to answer them.
Many thanks for your interest and contribution. David Gardner (PCCGB member 796)
Email: davidg2058@gmail.com
Univex Mercury I and Universal Camera Corp Mercury II Research
I am researching the history of the Mercury I [aka CC Model] and II [aka CX Model] cameras made by the Universal Camera Corp, and collecting the serial numbers to see if I can settle the question of how many were manufactured. Would you please be kind enough to email me with the Model type and serial no of any Mercury cameras that you may own.
The numbers appear either inside the film chamber on the early Mercury I, or on the reverse along the bottom of the D shaped housing for later models of the Mercury I and all Mercury II models.
Any other information on these cameras or the company and its cameras would be equally welcome. I look forward to hearing from you – Brian Woodley
Dating the Sanderson Camera
Cliff Bulcock is compiling info on the Sanderson camera – if you have one of these could you kindly please use the form (here) to identify your camera and the features and send it to the address at the bottom of that form.
For a leaflet showing illustrations of some features of Sanderson Field and Hand Cameras click (here)