American Optical Co., Scovill Mfg. Co., props.

1888 Instantaneous Outfit 

Date Introduced: 1888; Years Manufactured: c. 1888
Construction: rear focus; single swing; reversing by two tripod mounts; three-piece, shifting lensboard
Materials: mahogany body; cherry base; red leather bellows; brass hardware
Sizes Offered: #1=76 Camera (presumably the 4x5 version) #2=Petite Camera (3.25x4.25); #3=Mignon Camera (3.25x4.25)
Notes: The 1888 was the designation for an outfit, meaning it  included the camera, lens, Instantaneous Shutter, plate-holder, and canvas case.  The individual cameras had been given their own model names previously.
References:
Photo. Times 15, 1885, p. 583 (Instantaneous Shutter only)
How to Make Photographs and Descriptive Price List, C.H. Codman & Co. (Boston, MA), September 1888, p. 19
Scovill Mfg. Co. Catalog, 1888, p. 19
Buchanan, Bromley & Co. (Philadelphia, PA) Catalog, 1888

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