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Lot Essay
Camera history
E. Enjalbert's Photo-Revolver camera was patented in France on 14 February 1882 under patent number 147644. The patent protection was short-lived as the second year tax (a renewal fee) was not paid and a full patent specification was therefore not published. The camera is historically important as one of the earliest hand cameras.
It is believed that around fourteen examples of the camera were made for Enjalbert with fewer than six surviving examples recorded.
One previous Enjalbert Revolver camera has been offered at auction in Cameras and Optical Toys, 31 August 1995, lot 508, selling for a then world auction record price for a camera.
The Enjalbert made use of real revolver parts for reasons which have recently come to light with this example and are described below. These contributed to the camera's realistic appearance. The camera carried ten 20 x 20mm glass dry plates held in metal sheaths. Following exposure the cylindrical plate magazine was rotated by a half-turn which transferred the exposed plate to the second compartment and another half-turn brought a new plate into the taking position and re-set the shutter. The gun trigger also acted as the shutter trigger.
The Photographic News reported on the camera:
Enjalbert's Photo-Revolver. - M. Enjalbert, whose name is more particularly known as the inventor of ingenious apparatus, has presented to the Photographic Society of France this photo-revolver. The receptacle D [the plate holder] contains ten sensitive plates, which by action of the trigger are lodged by turn in a box by the side of that containing the unexposed plates. The motion of the trigger causes the shutter in front to act, which is capable of being regulated in rapidity. On pulling the trigger, the receptacle D makes one complete revolution, and is capable of making ten successively for the ten plates, which are square sided 2 centimetres long. Aim is taken by keeping point A in position in front of the knob placed at the end of the barrel. For enlarging these minute pictures, M. Enjalbert has had an apparatus constructed. The barrel or lens of revolver U is fixed in front of the condensing lens R, and the whole is placed in a camera; the negative slide is at T. Nothing can be more simple. The whole thing is well conceived, and the little negatives thus taken instantaneously, of course, are little gems. We can only find one fault with this pretty apparatus, in its bright nickel case, but it is a grave one - that is, that it takes the form of fire-arms.
The revolver
The revolver was in the possession of the camera's maker and has remained with the Enjalbert camera ever since. The revolver dates from the later 1870s and has a number of features also found on the camera. The revolver has no trigger guard and features a folding trigger which is extremely unusual on revolvers. The trigger and hammer designs are distinctive. These features are found on the Enjalbert camera and would indicate that the revolver was used as the basis of the camera's design.
The maker and Enjalbert
The camera maker, a French Alsacian, was born in 1854. He was an apprentice from 1871-1874 and was in Paris during the 1870-71 siege where he was working as a gunsmith at the Ateliers Nationaux de Réparation d'Armes (National Arms Repair Workshop) based at the Louvre. Following the loss of Alsace by France to Germany he became a German national and between 1 February 1875 and 16 September 1877 undertook military service. His military duty was undertaken in the German army where he was a Sergeant (Feldwebel) working as an 'Etatsmässiger Büchsenmacher' or fully qualified gunsmith.
After he left the army he returned to France and started working for the Enjalbert firm where he designed and made the Revolver de Poche camera. Enjalbert had no experience of gun work and it seems likely that his skill as a gunsmith was the prime reason why he was employed. It was essential for designing the Revolver camera and the camera's appearance owes everything to the maker's skill and expertise.
He started his own business in 1885 and produced the metal darkslide for photographic plates which was the subject of various patents from 1895 onwards. The metal slide included in this lot is one of the maker's original designs. It bears close similarities with the metal darkslides used in the Enjalbert camera. The camera maker was awarded a bronze medal at the 1900 International Exhibition in Paris for his photographic slides. The design was copied by all major camera manufacturers.
He maintained a friendly relationship with the Enjalbert family after he left their employment as evidenced by the letter to Mrs Enjalbert dating from 1914.
The camera's maker died in 1932. The copy and original documentary material included with this lot comes from his personal archives.
Fuller details are given in the printed catalogue.
E. Enjalbert's Photo-Revolver camera was patented in France on 14 February 1882 under patent number 147644. The patent protection was short-lived as the second year tax (a renewal fee) was not paid and a full patent specification was therefore not published. The camera is historically important as one of the earliest hand cameras.
It is believed that around fourteen examples of the camera were made for Enjalbert with fewer than six surviving examples recorded.
One previous Enjalbert Revolver camera has been offered at auction in Cameras and Optical Toys, 31 August 1995, lot 508, selling for a then world auction record price for a camera.
The Enjalbert made use of real revolver parts for reasons which have recently come to light with this example and are described below. These contributed to the camera's realistic appearance. The camera carried ten 20 x 20mm glass dry plates held in metal sheaths. Following exposure the cylindrical plate magazine was rotated by a half-turn which transferred the exposed plate to the second compartment and another half-turn brought a new plate into the taking position and re-set the shutter. The gun trigger also acted as the shutter trigger.
The Photographic News reported on the camera:
Enjalbert's Photo-Revolver. - M. Enjalbert, whose name is more particularly known as the inventor of ingenious apparatus, has presented to the Photographic Society of France this photo-revolver. The receptacle D [the plate holder] contains ten sensitive plates, which by action of the trigger are lodged by turn in a box by the side of that containing the unexposed plates. The motion of the trigger causes the shutter in front to act, which is capable of being regulated in rapidity. On pulling the trigger, the receptacle D makes one complete revolution, and is capable of making ten successively for the ten plates, which are square sided 2 centimetres long. Aim is taken by keeping point A in position in front of the knob placed at the end of the barrel. For enlarging these minute pictures, M. Enjalbert has had an apparatus constructed. The barrel or lens of revolver U is fixed in front of the condensing lens R, and the whole is placed in a camera; the negative slide is at T. Nothing can be more simple. The whole thing is well conceived, and the little negatives thus taken instantaneously, of course, are little gems. We can only find one fault with this pretty apparatus, in its bright nickel case, but it is a grave one - that is, that it takes the form of fire-arms.
The revolver
The revolver was in the possession of the camera's maker and has remained with the Enjalbert camera ever since. The revolver dates from the later 1870s and has a number of features also found on the camera. The revolver has no trigger guard and features a folding trigger which is extremely unusual on revolvers. The trigger and hammer designs are distinctive. These features are found on the Enjalbert camera and would indicate that the revolver was used as the basis of the camera's design.
The maker and Enjalbert
The camera maker, a French Alsacian, was born in 1854. He was an apprentice from 1871-1874 and was in Paris during the 1870-71 siege where he was working as a gunsmith at the Ateliers Nationaux de Réparation d'Armes (National Arms Repair Workshop) based at the Louvre. Following the loss of Alsace by France to Germany he became a German national and between 1 February 1875 and 16 September 1877 undertook military service. His military duty was undertaken in the German army where he was a Sergeant (Feldwebel) working as an 'Etatsmässiger Büchsenmacher' or fully qualified gunsmith.
After he left the army he returned to France and started working for the Enjalbert firm where he designed and made the Revolver de Poche camera. Enjalbert had no experience of gun work and it seems likely that his skill as a gunsmith was the prime reason why he was employed. It was essential for designing the Revolver camera and the camera's appearance owes everything to the maker's skill and expertise.
He started his own business in 1885 and produced the metal darkslide for photographic plates which was the subject of various patents from 1895 onwards. The metal slide included in this lot is one of the maker's original designs. It bears close similarities with the metal darkslides used in the Enjalbert camera. The camera maker was awarded a bronze medal at the 1900 International Exhibition in Paris for his photographic slides. The design was copied by all major camera manufacturers.
He maintained a friendly relationship with the Enjalbert family after he left their employment as evidenced by the letter to Mrs Enjalbert dating from 1914.
The camera's maker died in 1932. The copy and original documentary material included with this lot comes from his personal archives.
Fuller details are given in the printed catalogue.