Pocket Poco A Camera, 1903

The 1903 Pocket Poco A by the Rochester Optical and Camera Company (Rochester, NY) is unusual and one of my favorite portable self-casing designs. Unlike other cameras of this era, it does not have a bed that drops down to support the lens and shutter.

To open, you simply squeeze a pair of buttons and pull out the front. When opened, nicely nickel plated hardware - trellis struts - keeps the camera rigid. The body is made of cherry covered in seal grain leather with a red leather bellows.

It is an obscure camera only having been made for one year. It is a very small, cute apparatus that makes pictures on 3¼ x 4¼ inch glass plates. The Pocket Poco A was marketed to beginners at a price of $6.00 (equivalent to about $153 in year 2013 currency).