Please Adopt This Camera!

I bought this camera at a estate sale in Brooklyn a few days ago. It was among the possessions of an elderly lady. Like most similar events, her kids had kept all the stuff they wanted and were getting rid of the rest. That's pretty much all I know about its provenance. I bought it for $2.00.

What I do know that it is a Kodak Autographic 3, Model C. It was probably made around 1920 here in Rochester, NY. It used what they called a 'Postcard” format roll film, #125, that produced a hefty 3 1/2” x 5” negative. In it's time it was a fine machine. Not exactly top of the line, but well made and finished.

Regrettably, this camera did not fare well. When I picked it up, the leather case was so dried out, it fell away. A good part of the leather covering on the camera was also gone. Later at home, it took a bit of fiddling with the latch to open it and found much of the leather on the bellows dried out. Surprisingly, the shutter and lens diaphragm still worked. There was even a film spool in it and an original cable release attached to the lens. However, given it's condition, and barring a serious – and expensive – restoration, it will never take any more photos.

A camera like this always gets me to wondering about its history. I would guess that it was originally purchased by someone of means. There were other more expensive cameras on the market at the same time, but this one was fairly expensive by standards of the time. A wealthy owner might well have traveled and taken this camera along. It might have been used to photograph places far away and long gone. Sadly, the last owner did not care for it. It must have been stored away in an unforgiving environment, unused, for decades. Anyway, I bought it as much out of curiosity as out of a desire to keep it out of the trash which is where I am sure it would have ended up.

I still find it charming to look at. It is, after all a piece of both photographic and American history.

So: would someone like to adopt this camera? It really needs a new home. It could look great on display in your home. This is a serious offer.

Wednesday: The Camera has a new home!!!