Camera equipment in 1900 was heavy and cumbersome. Camera cases were as big as a soapbox and required a tripod for the long exposures necessary to obtain an image. Edith’s camera processed 5x7-inch gelatin dry plate glass negatives. Mass produced and ready to expose, their introduction in the 1880s simplified picture taking and opened the field up to amateurs.
Edith Irvine’s first camera was the folding Star Premo Camera (4 x 5), purchased between 1893 and 1894. Her second, the Telephoto Cycle Poco D (5 x 7), was likely purchased for her assignment documenting the construction of the Electra Powerhouse. It was this second camera that recorded the images in San Francisco in 1906.
Folding Star Premo Camera, Rochester Optical Company, New York; manufactured 1893-1894; 4 x 5 glass negatives. Lens: Buasch and Lomb, Auto f/4.5; rapid rectilinear lens and star shutter.
Telephoto Cycle-Poco, Rochester Camera and Supply Co.; 5 x 7 negatives; manufactured 1899-1903. Lens: Buasch and Lomb, Unicom f/8. Cherry wood with brass trim.
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