Photosphere

Compagnie Francaise de Photographie
Paris, France
ca. 1889

Ex-collection Michael Kramer

How can you not love a camera as whimsically-designed and sturdy as the Photosphere?

Invented by Conti and manufactured by Compagnie Francis de Photographie, the Photosphere was made of pre-tarnished silver-plated brass. It was a rigid-bodied camera for single exposures on dry plates and came with either a metal plate magazine or double wooden plate holders. The lens was a periscopic 95mm f/13, and the hemispherical part of the bell-shaped front housed a spring-powered shutter. A truly unique design!