Lot 29
PRESTWICH MODEL 4 35 mm motion picture camera, London, Prestwich Manufacturing Co., c.1898, hand-cranked, in polished mahogany with fine dovetail construction with original brass and wood winding handle, footage counter with silvered dial, brass fittings,
3 – 4 November 2021, 13:00 PDT
Los AngelesSold for US$11,475 inc. premium
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PRESTWICH MODEL 4
35 mm motion picture camera, London, Prestwich Manufacturing Co., c.1898, hand-cranked, in polished mahogany with fine dovetail construction with original brass and wood winding handle, footage counter with silvered dial, brass fittings, 400ft. film capacity, two detachable mahogany pulley-operated film magazines, the mechanism with a centrally-mounted 28-tooth single sprocket movement with two double roller sprocket guards, intermittent movement activated by a claw mechanism, direct through the film focusing, interior plate stamped "PRESTWICH MANUFACTURING CO TOTTENHAM LONDON PATENT NO. 1578," with an E. Krauss Paris Zeiss Protar f/6.3 54mm. lens no. 33394
John Alfred Prestwich (1874-1952) founded the Prestwich Manufacturing Company in 1895. He was a very capable engineer who made some of the most highly-considered cinema cameras during the final years of the 19th century. He is best remembered today outside of film circles for his J.A.P. motorcycle engines. He collaborated with William Friese Greene, another film pioneer, to make a camera and projector that reduced flicker.
The Prestwich Model 4 was one of four different models introduced in 1898. It was constructed on an entirely different principle from previous cameras. It was equipped with the newly patented claw movement with a single centrally-placed sprocket, moving continuously and acting as a combined feed and take-up sprocket, a function generally performed until then by an upper and lower sprocket. It had a film capacity of 400ft and the feed and take-up magazines both could be detached and attached in daylight - and one of the first cameras to have detachable magazines at all. Focusing was directly through the film. The Model 4 is extremely rare on the market.
John Alfred Prestwich (1874-1952) founded the Prestwich Manufacturing Company in 1895. He was a very capable engineer who made some of the most highly-considered cinema cameras during the final years of the 19th century. He is best remembered today outside of film circles for his J.A.P. motorcycle engines. He collaborated with William Friese Greene, another film pioneer, to make a camera and projector that reduced flicker.
The Prestwich Model 4 was one of four different models introduced in 1898. It was constructed on an entirely different principle from previous cameras. It was equipped with the newly patented claw movement with a single centrally-placed sprocket, moving continuously and acting as a combined feed and take-up sprocket, a function generally performed until then by an upper and lower sprocket. It had a film capacity of 400ft and the feed and take-up magazines both could be detached and attached in daylight - and one of the first cameras to have detachable magazines at all. Focusing was directly through the film. The Model 4 is extremely rare on the market.
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