Improved No.6 Folding Kodak. 1895 model

After over 10 years of searching, I finally acquired a No.6 Folding Kodak. It is a rare camera. Offered from 1893 to 1895, only 150 were produced according to Kodak historian Brian Coe. I know of five others in collections and believe there might be a couple more. Comparatively, over 8,600 smaller models were made from 1890 to 1897.

Although the picture doesn’t convey its size, this whole-plate format camera (6½ x 8½ inch images) is massive. According to an 1895 Kodak catalogue, the folded camera is 12 x 11½ x 8¾ inches (1208 cubic inches!) and weighs an impressive 11 lbs. 11 oz. when fully loaded with glass plates. For a supposedly portable field camera, let’s face it, that’s a big camera to carry in the field.

Even though it could use glass plates, a roll film holder was also available making it the largest portable roll film camera ever made. As an unexpected bonus, found with the camera are a pair of lens cells that can convert the standard Bausch & Lomb shutter optics to wide-angle photography.

The “Folding Kodak” series of cameras (there are two smaller models) were introduced in 1890 and represent the beginning of the most popular style of portable American “self-casing” cameras. The design concept became incredibly popular and was adopted by other makers throughout the decade.

Price in 1895 with plate holders was $100, which is roughly $3,606 when adjusted for 2022.