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Au Bon Marché - |
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Manufactured or assembled in Germany from (Circa) 1920 to (After) 1920.
Index of rarity in France: Rare (among non-specialized garage sales)
Inventory number: 13169
See the complete technical specifications
Chronology of cameras Au Bon Marche
Au Bon Marché is a large department store, which became a luxury store, founded in 1838 and located on the left bank of Paris. It still exists but has been called Le Bon Marché since 1989.
In the field of photography, Au Bon Marché was a distributor, meaning that the department store sold cameras under its own brand that were manufactured by third parties without changing their specifications, but by masking the references to the manufacturer and changing the name of the model, including that of the lens. The cameras sold by Le Bon Marché don't always have a name; they often have to make do with a type (such as a view camera, detective camera) followed by a number or their format.
There is no manufacturer's name visible on this 9 x 12 cm camera, but the lens bears the 'Au Bon Marché' brand, giving us the name of its distributor.
However, the handle, shape of its hardware, the arms of the fold-down front, the ivory distance indicators, and especially the small handles used to pull the lens and shutter block, as well as its support, indicate German manufacturing. It would therefore be a Contessa or Contessa-Nettel model from before 1926.
It's interesting to note the contrast on this camera between the quality of the body (leather, chrome, double swing, double extension, spirit level, etc.) and the modesty of the lens, a simple Simili Anastigmat Symétrique with a very modest aperture.
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