No 4 Folding Kodak Camera

Eastman Kodak Company

Name:	No 4 Folding Kodak
Type:	Folding (Rollfilm) / Hand & Stand
Manufacturer:	Eastman Kodak Company
Country of Origin:	US
Construction:	Early form of folding camera for 4 x 5 plates or rollfilm in an Eastman Walker rollholder. Wooden body covered in thick leather; case is of cubic form when closed and resembles a satchel. The front face is hinged along its bottom edge and folds down to form the baseboard along which the lens standard is drawn out on a track. The top forms a lid that is also hinged on the front edge and when opened allows access to the inside of the camera to load and unload the plateholders or rollholder.
Production Period:	1890 - 1897
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Model / Variant:	Improved Model
Plate / Film Size:	4 x 5 plate or Walker rollfilm adapter
Lens:	Bausch & Lomb Universal
Shutter:	Bausch & Lomb Iris Diaphragm
Movements:	Rising and cross front; swing back.
Dimensions (w x h x l):
Date of this Example:	c1895
Serial Number:	Serial number 8448 stamped onto the top of the rollholder and the inner frame of the camera body.
Availability:	Common  Uncommon  Hard to Find  Scarce
Inventory Number:	404

 

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Description

Satchel style No 4 Folding Kodak camera in fair condition. The lid has separated from the base (a common problem as the top hinge is formed by the leather covering itself and tends to fail through use and wear). The retaining stay for the lid is present still but a little bent.

This example of the No 4 Folding Kodak is complete with its original matching rollholder. This is the later Improved model that was introduced in 1893.

The shutter does not seem to be working, but is otherwise in good order. There are a lot of scuffs and marks on the leather and some chips out of the wooden baseboard. The bellows are in very good condition.

Notes

The Folding Kodak satchel models were made in three distinct sizes: the No 4 for pictures 4 x 5, the No 5 for pictures 5 x 7 and finally the No 6 for pictures 6½ x 8½. The No 4 and No 5 are both quite hard to find; the No 6 is scarce as it was made in much smaller numbers. I have seen only a few examples and none in the UK.

The photograph below shows the No 4 (Improved) Folding Kodak alongside the slightly larger No 5 Folding Kodak.