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Photographic Apparatus and Chemical Preparations
1856 Catalogue
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The Booklet containing the
Catalogue
The
booklet
Practical Photography on Glass and Paper was published by Bland &
Long, Opticians in 1854. The second edition of this book was published in 1856.
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Introduction to the Catalogue
The 1856 edition of this book
included a 64-page catalogue of photographic apparatus and chemicals. Messrs Bland & Long said:
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"In submitting the following Catalogue
of Instruments, Apparatus and Chemical Preparations used in the beautiful
Art of Photography, to the notice of Amateurs and Photographers in
general, would take this opportunity of stating that nearly the whole of
the Apparatus therein described is manufactured on the premises under
their own superintendence; thereby ensuring instruments with all the most
recent improvements, and at very moderate price."
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The company also had its own
Glass Room for testing processes and lenses, and offered instruction to
purchasers.
Below are some of the items
featured in this catalogue, and prices charged. |
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Equipment |
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Lenses
The cheapest:
6s 0d
1.5ins unmounted Single Achromatic Lens for taking views by Calotype or
Collodion process
The most expensive:
16 Gns (=£16
16s 0d)
Mounted Compound
Achromatic Lens arranged for views 12ins x 10ins and portraits 8.5ins x
6.5ins |
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Rigid Cameras
The cheapest:
18s 6d
Mahogany
French-polished camera, with single back for paper or glass, and ground
focusing glass for pictures 6ins x 5 ins.
The most expensive:
£6 0s 0d
Mahogany
French-polished camera, with single back for paper or glass, and ground
focusing glass for pictures 6ins x 5 ins. - fitted with single
Achromatic lens 3ins diameter, mounted in brass sliding tube. |
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Expanding Cameras
The cheapest:
£1 7s 6d
Mahogany
French-polished camera, with single back 5ins square, with two loose
frames for plates 4.25ins x 3.25ins and 3.25ins x 2.75ins.
The most expensive:
£11 10s 0d
Mahogany
French-polished camera, with single back 10ins square, with three loose
frames for plates 8.5ins x 6.5ins, 6ins x 5ins and 5ins x 4ins, ground
focusing glass &c. Fitted with a foreign lens. |
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No 1
No 2 |
Stereoscopic Cameras
No 1 Simple
construction
Sliding front
£3 3s 0d
No 2 Two
compound lenses, allowing both pictures to be taken at the same instant.
£5 5s 0d
No 3 Mounted
on boards with parallel adjustment. Single lens
£6 0s 0d
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No 3 |
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Iodine and Bromine Boxes
Single Iodine or Bromine
French pattern
9s 0d to £1 0s 0d
Double Iodine and Bromine
French pattern without mirrors
18s 0d to £1 7s 6d
Compound Iodine
and Bromine (illustrated)
£2 5s 0d to £5 0s 0d |
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Portable Dark Tent
This
Portable Dark Tent for
working the Collodion in the country (left) can be folded into the box (below). £5 5s 0d
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No 2
No 3 No 4 |
Head Rests
Four varieties of Head Rest were
sold.
No 1
was a simple stand. 2s 6d.
No 2
(illustrated) 6s 6d
No 3
(illustrated) £1 10s 0d
No 4
(illustrated) £3 3s 0d
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Mercury Boxes
Mercury boxes were used
to give the mercury coating to
Daguerreotype plates.
Bland & Long sold two
styles of Mercury Box, each in three sizes.
Mercury Box without window (illustrated)
8s 0d, 12s 0d and 16s 0d.
Mercury Box with window
£1 1s 0d, £1 7s 6d and £1 15s 0d |
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Stands with Levelling Screws
Stands with levelling
screws were presumably used for coating plates. The plate would need
to be kept level in order to receive an even coating.
Prices: 3s 6d
to 7s 6d. |
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Glass Spirit Lamps
Glass spirit lamps were sold in several sizes, at prices of:
1s, 1s 6d,
2s, 2s 6d, 5s 0d.
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Morocco Cases and Frames
Morocco Cases: 10s 0d to £5 per dozen.
Morocco Frames: 7s 0d to £3 per dozen. |
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Chemicals |
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Calotype and Paper
Processes
List of
chemicals and prices for the
calotype and
paper
processes. |
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Collodion and Albumen Glass
Processes
List of
chemicals and prices
for the
collodion and
albumen
glass
processes. |
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Daguerreotype
Process
List of
chemicals and prices for the
daguerreotype process. |
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Complete sets of Photographic
Apparatus |
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The Bland & Long catalogue of
1856 ended with 7 pages of
"Estimates of Complete Sets of Photographic Apparatus."
To see the equipment included in some
of the above sets,
please click on one of the sets underlined in the table above. |
