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| Folmer Graflex | |
|---|---|
| Name | Folmer Graflex |
| Maker | Folmer & Schwing Manufacturing Company |
| Introduced | 1912 |
| Type | Press camera |
| Filmformat | Sheet film, roll film (with backs) |
| Lens | Interchangeable |
| Shutter | Focal-plane, lens-mounted |
| Storage | Metal body |
Folmer Graflex The Folmer Graflex was a series of professional large-format press and studio cameras produced by the Folmer & Schwing Manufacturing Company and later by the Graflex Corporation, used extensively by photojournalists, portraitists, and cinematographers during the early-to-mid 20th century. It influenced contemporaneous makers such as Eastman Kodak Company, Rochester (New York), Bell & Howell, and Graflex, Inc. through innovations that intersected with practices at institutions like the National Press Photographers Association, Associated Press, Life (magazine), and The New York Times. Collectors, conservators, and historians trace its impact alongside developments at RCA, Kodak, Leica Camera AG, and Zeiss Ikon.
The company roots link to industrial activity in Rochester, New York and evolving photographic markets shaped by exhibitions at the Pan-American Exposition, Lewis Hine era labor documentation, and wartime demand during World War I and World War II. Early Folmer Graflex models emerged as competitors to Eastman Kodak's folding cameras and responded to reportage needs highlighted by photographers working for Harper's Weekly, National Geographic Society, Time (magazine), and The Saturday Evening Post. Corporate reorganizations involved figures and entities such as C. R. Smith (aviation executive), manufacturing supply chains connected to American Locomotive Company, and legal frameworks influenced by cases adjudicated in New York Supreme Court. The Graflex line evolved through the interwar period with market pressures from Adolf Fassbender-era optics houses, the rise of 35 mm film popularized by Oskar Barnack and Leica, and distribution networks including B&H Photo Video and department stores in Manhattan.
Design choices reflected input from photographers working with publications like Life (magazine), Collier's, and agencies such as United Press International and Reuters. Variants included press-style Graflex bodies, studio Graflex SLR adaptations, and Graflex backs for roll film compatible with systems from Kodak Medalist and Graflex Super D. Optical combinations used lenses from Anastigmat series, Cooke Optics, Taylor-Hobson, and Zeiss Jena while shutters originated from suppliers connected to Compur and Prontor. Features paralleled innovations by Graflex, Inc. competitors: focal-plane shutters akin to those in Contax and interchangeable backs similar to Rolleiflex systems. Notable variants addressed needs in Hollywood cinematography and press work for agencies like Associated Press Photo Archives.
Typical Folmer Graflex specifications encompassed large-format sheet-film sizes (commonly 3¼×4¼ inch, 4×5 inch, and 5×7 inch) used by photographers at institutions such as The Museum of Modern Art and Smithsonian Institution. Components referenced standards set by optics firms like Carl Zeiss AG and Leitz (Ernst Leitz GmbH). Shutter designs and flash synchronization adapted to electrical standards promoted by Underwriters Laboratories and lighting houses including Mole-Richardson. Materials and metallurgy practices followed industrial suppliers who also furnished General Electric and United States Steel Corporation. Accessories—viewfinders, grips, and film holders—integrated technologies from Kodak Professional, Graflex, and third-party manufacturers serving studios in Hollywood and bureaus in Washington, D.C..
Folmer Graflex cameras were staples for press photographers covering events like the 1920 Republican National Convention, the Great Depression, and wartime reporting from European Theater of Operations and the Pacific Theater. Photojournalists associated with Life (magazine), Look (magazine), The New York Times, and news services such as Associated Press favored the Graflex for its robustness and lens interchangeability. Cinematographers in early studio systems at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Warner Bros., and independent production companies used Graflex viewfinders and accessories for stills and continuity photography tied to productions documented by the American Film Institute. Use cases intersected with developments at optical labs like Kodak Research Laboratories and preservation programs at institutions such as the Library of Congress.
Collectible Graflex models are tracked by collectors, museums, and auction houses including Sotheby's, Christie's, Heritage Auctions, and specialty dealers in Ithaca (New York). Key models noted by curators and historians parallel examples held at the George Eastman Museum, International Center of Photography, and private collections of photographers like Margaret Bourke-White, Weegee (Arthur Fellig), Ansel Adams, and Dorothea Lange. Provenance often ties individual cameras to photojournalists from agencies such as Associated Press and editorial work for Life (magazine), increasing market interest among collectors who reference catalogs issued by Graflex Corporation and period advertisements in Popular Photography. Condition, rarity of backs, and surviving accessories influence valuations tracked in records maintained by Photo District News and collector societies.
Folmer Graflex’s legacy endures in design elements echoed by later cameras from Graflex, Inc., Calumet Photographic, Sinar, and Hasselblad—notably modularity, serviceability, and ergonomics for reportage. Its influence is discussed in technical histories housed at Smithsonian Institution National Museum of American History and in scholarship from Rochester Institute of Technology and University of Rochester. Design principles informed accessories and standards later adopted by manufacturers like Nikon Corporation, Canon Inc., and FujiFilm for professional systems, and they remain subjects of conservation work by curators at George Eastman Museum and preservation efforts involving agencies such as National Archives and Records Administration.
Category:Historic cameras