For sale is an early 1900s ANSCO No 6 FOLDING BELLOWS CAMERA. This camera has a wood camera body which is covered in leather. The camera has a black leather bellows. The camera lens from Wollensak Company, Rochester, NY is marked with a 1912 patent date. The metal parts are heavily nickel plated and polished. The camera is fitted with a double rapid symmetrical lens with a 5 3/4 inch focal length. The camera had an Ansco Automatic time and instantaneous shutter with three speeds. The camera captured six 3 1/4 by 4 1/4 inch photos on Ansco no. 7A and 7B film or equivalent Kodak no. 118 roll film. The camera measures about 2 1/2 inches, 4 1/2 inches, by 8 inches. A fine collectible antique camera.
In 1842, the Ansco company started as one of the earliest photographic equipment and supply manufacturers in the United States. Despite an early start and a patent that should have secured their role in the marketplace, Ansco struggled for years to recover from the significant loss of revenue when Eastman Kodak company entered the market in the late 1880s. In 1902, they relocated to Binghamton, New York, the home of one of their photographic paper manufacturing facilities. At this time, Ansco’s business focus from distributing all photographic supplies to focusing producing their own film, paper, cameras and accessories. In 1914, Ansco settled a roll film production patent infringement case against Eastman Kodak. The settlement, for 5 million dollars, was relatively small compared to the economic damage done to Ansco loss of sales.
