89. Houghton's 'Ensignette' Folding Waistcoat Pocket Camera, c. 1910

Signed: '"ENSIGNETTE" MADE BY HOUGHTON LTD'; and in a second roundel: 'PATENT 28464 1907'; serial number inside case: 'P18884'

Folding, twin-stayed construction, taking six exposures each of 38 x 57 mm, with a f13 fixed focus meniscus lens of 65 mm focal length, simple blade sector shutter in front of lens and a brilliant reflecting viewfinder. Patented by Magnus Neill who had previously designed Houghton's 'Ticka'. When the front is pulled forward to the end of the strutts, pins spring into slots to hold the front rigid. This model introduced the trend towards vest pocket cameras of which the Vest Pocket Kodak (Item 92) became the most popular.

Height 50 mm, width 100 mm, length 20 mm (folded).
Inventory no. 72,894.