Lumière Scoutbox

Scoutbox around 1950

Lumière's Scoutbox is a typical box camera for type No. 120 rollfilm, a camera as it was made by camera makers all over the world as one for beginners. It was switchable from instant to bulb mode, and three different apertures were selectable. It was the typical "three eye" box camera design with two brilliant finders, one for vertical and one for horizontal shots. The earlier versions of 1935 and 1939 had just one brilliant finder that could be pulled out of the camera to turn it 90 degrees. This feature gave theses models a characteristic look. The earlier models had also the advantage of a security mode for the shutter release.

The 1950s model is nicely covered with black leatherette with embossed rhombus pattern. That makes it easily distinguishable from other "boxes for scouts". Boy scouts and girl scouts were an ideal target group to spread beginners' cameras since scouts traveled a lot, saw a lot, and liked to make images of all that.

Links

• old Scoutbox versions with just one finder at Le Viel Album [1]
• photo examples at Flickr user vsnboots [2]