Surov Folder

I need help with this one... I am not sure whether it even belongs in the catalog or not, but we've never touched the subject of cameras from Czarist Russia... this one I'm guesstimating was made circa 1905, it's a German folder but imported/rebranded by a Russian retailer in St.Petersburg S.I. Surov on Nevskiy Prospect 9/13....

A few questions:

- Can anyone tell me what is the actual name of this camera? I can't figure out what is lens name and what is camera name.
- Can anyone guess its age more precisely?
- Do we want to catalog the Russian retailer cameras pre-1917 in this catalog (there are a lot - I know some people here have quite a few for example), so should I create a new category and what should it be called?


Vlad

Hi Vlad,
My opinion is that it does belong in the catalog as it is a part of Russian photographic / camera history. Cameras like this that were imported into Russia, and later into the Soviet Union, were what was being used by Russian-Soviet photographers, as well as a strong influence on the designs of the cameras that were made in Russia / USSR.
So, I think they belong in the catalog and I collect some of them myself and will add ones that I think have interest.
As far as a category name, maybe "Imported - Russian / Soviet Retailed" or "Imported - Retailed in Russia / USSR"

Regards, Bill

Thanks Bill, do you think we should restrict that category by time period, like only pre-1917 cameras? Since that's the period when those were exported.. I'm not sure I want Practica or East German cameras in the catalog...

Also I should probably also add "Pre-1917 Russian manufactured Cameras" category at the same time as well...

Vlad.

I think that only in 1929 or so cameras were no more imported in Russia. So, all camera in the pre 1929 must belong in an special section with new cathegories. Once we have a Wiki of Russian and Soviet cameras, there were Russian cameras, and magnificent ones, since 1839. Some of them I saw personally at the Polytechnical Moscow Museum.

Ok, I have created the 2 new categories for pre-revolution Russian cameras and the retailed foreign cameras pre-1929.. but PLEASE! Russian tag imported only cameras, I do not want to see any German or other cameras without Russian retailer tag or rebrand for Soviet market.. also please no East German stuff, pre-1929 stuff only (even though I may create Made in USSR Occupied Germany category later, if people request it)...

Vlad.

Vlad,

I like the idea to have category of retailed cameras. This will expand our horizon a lot.

Thanks,
Aidas

Got an email today from Peter Jonas of www.photohistory.at , here's what he wrote about this camera:

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="MS Trebuchet, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">
Hi Vlad, the camera is a AFPI , the manufacturer was Emil Wünsche in Reick near Dresden. Produced from 1904 to 1909.
Several different styles are known. McKeown page 1017.
greetings from Austria
Peter Jonas
www.photohistory.at
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></font id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

So thank you Peter Jonas!! This is excellent information... now I don't have McKeown, if someone has it, could you look at that page and is there anythign else that is written about it there? Also what does he list as a value, I'm very curious about that...

Thanks!
Vlad.

Hi,

My McKeown is older version, but still some data here ...

http://www.ussrphoto.com/UserContent/Afpi_rsz.JPG

Regards,
Aidas

Thank you Aidas so much! I think I see a problem now though... the camera that I have is 6x9 plates [:0].. none of the ones listed there are 6x9.... it is absolutely tiny, it's almost exactly the size of Moskva 3..... I think the search may have to continue for me, I will email Peter and ask him whether he knows of 6x9 versions of this camera...

Vlad.