This is a mahogany and brass whole plate camera, probably made in 1900 or shortly after. It has a label saying "Gerard & Co, London", but the design, the metalwork and the joinery are identical to the Houghton Triple Victo, so I suspect that Gerard was the name of a dealer.

The original back and the shutter and lens mount are missing, but the camera was repaired at some point in the past and a new lens mount was made for it in ebony and aluminium. A Kodak whole plate back was also fitted.

It's quite likely that it has not been used for at least 50 years, but whole plate film (6.5"x8.5") is still available.

 

 

The first task was to strip the body down completely for cleaning and resurfacing. The wood varnish was in poor condition and the brass lacquer was badly pitted. After cleaning, Danish oil and wax polish were applied to the wood, and lacquer was sprayed onto the metalwork and screws.

The second task was to create a replacement tripod mount. The original Victorian design of tripod catch was missing, leaving a large hole in the base of the camera. Strips of mahogany were glued together and cut into a roundel to fill the hole. A slot for a 1/4" nut and a brass locking plate was then cut into the base. This was embedded with resin and the roundel was glued in place. Finally, the tripod socket was covered with a brass plate to secure the base and the roundel together.

 

I was able to get new lensboards from Scott Perry in the U.S. These are first rate, seasoned mahogany panels, though he also stocks a wide range of other wood types. Scott also provided the ground glass which he cuts and grinds to order.

Making bellows is not the best fun you can have on the weekend, but the cost of materials was about 10% of the cost of commissioning a new set.

I have added a page of instructions for designing and constructing large format bellows here ...

Making Bellows