Putnam Marvel

F. Putnam Company
New York, NY
ca. 1885 - 1895

This mint-condition example of the Putnam Marvel is a 5” x 8” horizontal tailboard camera of light-colored wood. The remarkable thing about this camera is that the cabinetry has no maker’s name or production number stamped into the wood as most others did. It comes with a pristine Waterbury lens (No. 115493), made by the Scovill Manufacturing Co., New York. The lens has wheelhouse stops as its aperture and a leather lens cap.

In truth, it is very difficult to tell the differences between Scovill Manufacturing Co.’s Waterbury View Camera and F. Putnam’s Marvel as it seems that Frank Putnam was able to avail himself to some of Scovill’s design and wood supply, possibly in consideration for using Scovill’s Waterbury lenses on his cameras.

In conversations with famed camera collector, Rob Niederman, I learned, “The wood finish is typical of early Putnam and not Scovill. Most Marvel finishes look unfinished and the wood grain and the color often don’t match consistently throughout the camera. The finish of your camera is similar to early Putnam Marvels and the design seems later.”