Lot Essay
Permutt describes this as an 'early 19th-century camera'. It would be more accurate to describe the object as a camera obscura as there is no provision for a plate-holder.
Details
A 5 x 7 inch wood-body sliding-box reflex camera obscura (lacks mirror and screen) with hinged top, a 2½ inch diameter single meniscus lens and wood lens cover.
Provenance
The estate of the late Cyril Permutt.
Literature
Permutt (1976), Collecting Old Cameras, p. 146.
Further details
See illustration