1899 NoDark Tintype Camera * 1st Instant Camera * Pre-Dates Polaroid by 50 Years For Sale

Make sure to check out all of my sales after you\'ve looked at this one. I\'m listing another eclectic selection of antiques and collectibles, and I suspect that there will be something of interest to just about everybody. Here\'s a beautiful, primitive, and eminently collectible NoDark Tintype set, the world\'s first self-developing plate camera. Manufactured in New York in the late 1890\'s, it was popular among street photographers because it enabled them to shoot a photograph one minute and sell it to their subjects the next. The Nodark (short for \"No Darkroom\") sold for less than $10 when it was new and was relatively easy to use. A simple rack mechanism advanced a cassette of emulsion-coated tintypes one plate at a time toward the lens, where the plates were exposed and subsequently dropped into a small developing tank that was attached to the underside of the camera body, beneath the opening slit. Once in the tank, the tin plates were coated with developing and fixing solutions and ready in about a minute (or so the manufacturer claimed).Condition of the camera is very good to excellent throughout. The wood (looks like mahogany) is excellent, and the wood\'s finish is original. German Silver-plated fittings and hardware are in good condition, with a nice, 115-year-old patina and only a moderate amount of tarnish and oxidation. Wood cassette is in excellent condition, with no damage. Geared mechanism (with a counter that allowed the photographer to see how many plates were left in the cassette) is in good condition, and the cassette moves forward as the knob is rotated. Simple meniscus lens is in good condition and the shutter appears to be working properly. Slide that releases the plate into the developing tank is working properly too.Measures approximately 12\" x 4\" x 3\". Shipping weight will be about 5 lb.That\'s about it. I will pack it carefully and properly. sale participants with no prior response history or with hidden response should contact me before placing a offer. Buyer prepays and includes shipping.