Quarter plate daguerreotype camera of French origin. Sliding box type made of mahogany Wood with the base framework made of oak. Used by cousins Jens Homann and Henriette Olava Homann for daguerreotypes first and later for wet plates in Telemark, Norway since 1849. The camera comes with two plate holders and the Charles Chevalier PHOTOGRAPHE à Verres Combine lens mounted in a flange, secured with 3 screws. The engraved text on the lens mentions the maker's address at Palais Royal 158. The address was not used by Chevalier before he moved in 1853 (info provided by Mr. Corrado D'Agostini).
The lense's focal length has been measured to be roughly 110 mm and the image circle is about 140 mm which covers the ground glass almost completely. There is a screw on diaphragm (stop) marked PORTRAITS ET PEYSAGES fixed on the lens, the hole diameter is probably 27 mm. The outer diameter of the stop is probably 48 mm and it is set inn in front of the lens.
The lens has front and back elements. The back element when used alone does not create a focused image on the camera's ground glass. This would suggest that the lens is a Petzval-type ("Système allemand" much copied in France and elsewhere for decades) which was designed for portraits. The provided lens stop improved sharpness overall and made the lens also acceptable for group portraits and landscapes.
Camera body outer dimentions:
Length: 17,5 cm
Width: 14,5 cm
Hight: 18,5 cm
Screw socket for tripod at the bottom is not standard.
Image size on the ground glass size:
Hight: 14,4 cm
Width: 8,7 cm
The ground glass measures 9,7 x 12,0 cm
The plateholders sizes 9,5 x 12,2 (BKM4909c) and 9,4 x 12,1 (BKM4909c)
None of the Homann&Homann processed daguerreotype plates excede the above sizes.
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