19. Sliding Box Camera, c. 1845

Unsigned.

The relationship to the earlier sliding-box camera obscura can be clearly seen in this design which takes photographic glass plates 90 x 120 mm. The inner box with the ground glass screen slides along groove on baseboard into the outer box which is fitted with a f6 Petzval-type portrait lens of 150 mm focal length, signed: 'LEREBOURS et SECRETAN, a Paris'. With the camera is an early dark slide for single plate, with hinged door at back and oak slide (withdrawn upwards) at front. N. P. Lerebours and Marc Secretan worked together from 1845, and Secretan carried on after Lerebour's death in 1855.

Length 240 mm, width 145 mm, height 185 mm.
Inventory no. 87,979.