View source for Seneca


{{Flickr_image
|image_source= https://www.flickr.com/photos/mario_groleau/3149767780/in/pool-camerawiki
|image= http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3250/3149767780_2889ff674a_n_d.jpg
|image_align= right
|image_text= 
|scan_by= Mario Groleau
|image_rights= wp
}}
{{Flickr_image
|image_source= http://www.flickr.com/photos/89864432@N00/1804962729/in/pool-camerawiki/
|image= http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2341/1804962729_5eeab0bb76.jpg
|image_align= left
|image_text= ad in 1919: still life with image of Indian girl with [[Roll Film Seneca|camera]]<br/>
|scan_by=Uwe Kulick
|image_rights=wp
}}
'''Seneca Camera Mfg. Co.''' was a camera maker based in the American photography capital [[Rochester (New York)|Rochester]], New York. The company was founded at the end of the 19th century. Its chiefs were the former superintendent at Kodak Camera Works Frank T. Day, president, William C. Whitlock, vice-president, and Lorin E. Mason. They bought the assets of the [[Sunart]] company which was not very successful. Seneca itself managed to get a larger share of the American camera market. It made a series of simpler cameras for everybody, mainly the ''Scout'' series of [[box camera]]s and [[rollfilm]] [[folding|folders]]. And it made several big [[view camera]]s like the ''Seneca View'', ''Competitor'', [[magazine camera|plate box cameras]] like the ''Kao Sr.'', and folding bed plate cameras like the the ''No. 29 Pocket Seneca'', the [[Black Beauty]] and the ''[[Seneca Chautauqua]]''. Of course Seneca put some products into other popular market segments, for example the ''Vest Pocket Roll Film Seneca Camera''. 

The name of the company was derived from the name of the Seneca-Iroqois Red Indians. A county in the state of New York was already named after them. Many ads and advertising brochures of the company showed Indians as eye-catchers.
{{Flickr_image
|image_source= http://www.flickr.com/photos/47662116@N05/8040892837/in/pool-camerawiki
|image= http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8042/8040892837_92308a4e02.jpg
|image_align= right
|image_text= 
|scan_by= Charlie Kamerman
|image_rights= wp
}}

In 1901 the company had rooms in the fifth floor of the Leary Dye Works, a brick building at the corner of Platt and Mill Street. In spring a fire destroyed the house were 25 Seneca employees were working. Many were rescued, some by workers of Bridgeford's machine shop who managed to find large pieces of canvas on which they could catch people who were jumping out of the windows of the burning house. The damage for Seneca was 40,000 US-Dollars, uninsured. [from New York Times, March 2, 1901]

The company also made [[tripod]]s, darkroom equipment, and adapters to use film packs on plate cameras.
{|class="floatcenter plainlinks"
|[http://www.flickr.com/photos/47662116@N05/8040897506/in/pool-camerawiki http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8031/8040897506_0e5dda37ee_m.jpg]
|[http://www.flickr.com/photos/47662116@N05/8040894386/in/pool-camerawiki http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8175/8040894386_200a5384e1_m.jpg]
|[http://www.flickr.com/photos/47662116@N05/8040885299/in/pool-camerawiki http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8039/8040885299_d752530183_m.jpg]
|[http://www.flickr.com/photos/47662116@N05/8040896424/in/pool-camerawiki http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8037/8040896424_394d26345b_m.jpg]
|-
|colspan=4 align=center|
{{Flickr_image_caption
|image_text= 
|scan_by= Charlie Kamerman
|image_rights= wp
}}
|}
{{Rochester}}
{{brl}}
==Cameras==
{{Flickr_image
|image_source= http://www.flickr.com/photos/47662116@N05/8178027718/in/pool-camerawiki
|image= http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8065/8178027718_a60bab3ee9.jpg
|image_align= right
|image_text= 
|scan_by= Charlie Kamerman
|image_rights= wp
}}

{{Flickr_image
|image_source= http://www.flickr.com/photos/89864432@N00/4218335551/in/pool-camerawiki
|image= http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4027/4218335551_df200ba6d3.jpg
|image_align= left
|image_by=Uwe Kulick
|image_rights=with permission
}}{{brl}}
===[[Plate]]s===
*Seneca Press
*Kao Sr. (box camera)
*Seneca Junior (box camera)
*Seneca Senior (box camera)
====[[folding bed camera]]s====
{|class=floatleft
||
=====4x5=====
*[[Seneca Chautauqua|Chautauqua]]
*[[Seneca Chautauqua Jr.|Chautauqua Jr.]]
*[[Pocket Seneca No. 29]]
*[[Pocket Seneca No. 30, No. 31, and No. 32|Pocket Seneca No. 30]]
*Pocket Seneca No. 31 (=[[Pocket Seneca No. 30, No. 31, and No. 32|Seneca Camera No. 31]])
*[[Pocket Seneca No. 30, No. 31, and No. 32|Pocket Seneca No. 32]]
*Pocket Seneca No. 33
*[[Black Beauty]]
*[[Seneca Junior]]
|}
{{Flickr_image
|image_source= http://www.flickr.com/photos/32113303@N07/3193372717/in/pool-camerawiki/
|image= http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3258/3193372717_0f1d8e3deb.jpg
|image_align= center
|image_by= Pete Naylor
|image_rights=with permission
}}

=====4x5 and 5x7 and 6&frac12;x8&frac12;=====
{|class=floatleft
|
=====4x5 and 5x7=====
*Seneca No. 1
*Seneca No. 2
*Seneca No. 3
*Seneca No. 4
*Seneca No. 5
*Seneca No. 6
*Seneca No. 7
|}
{{Flickr_image
|image_source= http://www.flickr.com/photos/mikeygottawa/4979292281/in/pool-camerawiki/
|image= http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4112/4979292281_47a238193a_m.jpg
|image_align= center
|image_text= 
|image_by= Mikey G Ottawa
|image_rights= wp
}}

=====5x7=====
*Special Seneca Stereoscopic
*Stereo Seneca No. 7
=====4x5 and 5x7 and 6&frac12;x8&frac12;=====
*[[Seneca 8|Seneca No. 8]]
*[[Seneca 9|Seneca No. 9]]
{{Flickr_image
|image_source= http://www.flickr.com/photos/89864432@N00/3953590319/in/pool-camerawiki
|image= http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3424/3953590319_272dde3b34_b.jpg
|image_align= right
|image_text= 1914 ad:<br/>Chief Quick Eye<br/>
|scan_by=Uwe Kulick
|image_rights=with permission
}}
{|class=floatleft
||
=====6&frac12;x8&frac12;=====
*Seneca Special
=====smaller plate and film sheet formats=====
*Pocket Seneca No. 29, 3&frac14;&times;4&frac14;"
*Pocket Seneca No. 30, 3&frac14;&times;4&frac14;", 3&frac14;&times;5&frac12;" (postcard format)
*Pocket Seneca No. 31, 3&frac14;&times;4&frac14;"
*Pocket Seneca No. 32, 3&frac14;&times;4&frac14;"
*Pocket Seneca No. 33, 3&frac14;&times;4&frac14;"
*Box Filmette, 2&frac14;&times;3&frac14;"  or 3&frac14;&times;4&frac14;" or 3&frac14;&times;5&frac12;" (film packs)
*[[Black Beauty]], 3&frac14;&times;5&frac12;" (postcard format)
=====larger plate formats=====
*City View
*Columbian View
*[[Competitor View]]
*Magic View
*Seneca View, 5&times;7" or 6&frac12;&times;8&frac12;" or 8&times;10"
*[[Improved Seneca View]]
|}
{{Flickr_image
|image_source= http://www.flickr.com/photos/mfobrien/8078816139/in/pool-camerawiki
|image= http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8471/8078816139_e9dd68d765_n.jpg
|image_align= center
|image_text= [[Improved Seneca View]]
|image_by= mfophotos
|image_rights= (c)
}}{{brl}}
====Film packs====
{{Flickr_image
|image_source= http://www.flickr.com/photos/uwe_kulick/8569977302/in/pool-camerawiki/
|image= http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8375/8569977302_79e057e4ec_z.jpg
|image_align= right
|image_text= Sen-X [[rollfilm]] ad
|scan_by= Uwe Kulick
|image_rights= (c)
}}

*Seneca Filmett
*Seneca Box Film Pack Camera

====[[Rollfilm]]====
The rollfilm brand sold in conjunction with Seneca's [[rollfilm]] cameras was [[Kodak|Eastman]] Vulcan film:
{|border=1
||Kodak No.
||[[120 film|120]] (?)
||[[116 film|116]]
||130 (?)
||118 (?), 124 (?)
||122 (?), 125
|-
||Vulcan No.
||210
||232
||&nbsp;
||236, 248
||244, 250
|-
||camera size code
||1, 2
||1A, 2A
||2C
||3
||3A
|-
||frame size
||2&frac14;&times;3&frac14;"
||2&frac12;&times;4&frac14;"
||2 7/8 &times; 4 7/8 "
||3&frac14;&times;4&frac14;"
||3&frac14;&times;5&frac12;"
|}
{{Flickr_image
|image_source= https://www.flickr.com/photos/blackdogsphoto/16131763380/in/pool-camerawiki
|image= http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7518/16131763380_1115f1504a_m_d.jpg
|image_align= right
|image_text= Folding Scout 2A
|image_by= BlackDogsPhoto
|image_rights= wp
}}

*Baby Seneca Style A (box)
*Baby Seneca Style B (box)
*Film Seneca Style C (box)
*Film Seneca Style D (box)
*Film Seneca Style F
*Film Seneca Style H
*Box Scout No. 2
*[[Box Scout No. 2 A]]
*[[Box Scout No. 2 C]]
*[[Seneca Box Scout No. 3|Box Scout No. 3]]
*Box Scout No. 3 A
*[[Folding Scout No. 2 A]]
*Folding Scout No. 3
*Folding Scout No. 3 A
*[[Roll Film Seneca|No.  1, No. 1A, No. 3 and No. 3A Roll Film Seneca]]
*[[Seneca Snap]]
*Vest Pocket Roll Film Seneca
*[[Military Vest Pocket Seneca]]
*[[No. 1 Seneca Jr.|No. 1 Seneca Junior]]

==Links==
*[http://historiccamera.com/cgi-bin/librarium2/pm.cgi?action=app_display&app=datasheet&app_id=1461 Seneca history] on [http://historiccamera.com Historic Camera]
*[http://www.piercevaubel.com/cam/seneca.htm Seneca view cameras] at [http://www.piercevaubel.com/cam Field Cameras of the United States]
*[http://www.photoethnography.com/ClassicCameras/index-frameset.html?SenecaCompetitorView.html~mainFrame Competitor View] at  [http://www.photoethnography.com photoethnography.com]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20180206054237/http://www.clickondavid.com/index-67.html Competitor View] and [https://web.archive.org/web/20180206054242/http://www.clickondavid.com/index-68.html Pocket Seneca No. 30] at  [https://web.archive.org/web/20180227141154/http://www.clickondavid.com/index.html Click on David] (archived)
*[http://www.earlyphotography.co.uk/site/entry_C471.html Seneca 8] on [http://www.earlyphotography.co.uk Early Photography]
*[http://archive.is/www.boxcameras.com/senecakaosr.html Seneca Kao Sr.] box camera at [http://archive.is/www.boxcameras.com BoxCamera.com] (archived)
*[http://www.butkus.org/chinon/seneca/seneca_vest_pocket/senica_vest_pocket.htm Manual of the Vest Pocket Roll Film Seneca Camera] at  [http://www.butkus.us M. Butkus Jr.'s]
* [https://butkus.org/chinon/seneca/sececa_military_pocket/seneca_military_vest_pocket.htm Seneca Military Vest Pocket PDF manual] at [https://butkus.org/chinon/index.html www.OrphanCameras.com]
*[https://www.butkus.org/chinon/seneca/seneca_sagamore-no-1/seneca_sagamore-no-1.htm Seneca Sagamor No. 1 PDF file] at [https://www.butkus.org/chinon/index.html OrphanCameras.com]
*[https://www.butkus.org/chinon/seneca/pocket_senecas/pocket_senecas.htm Pocket Seneca cameras PDF booklet] at [https://www.butkus.org/chinon/index.html OrphanCameras.com]
*[https://www.butkus.org/chinon/seneca/senica_no_1_junior/senica_no_1_junior.htm Seneca No. 1 Junior PDF manual] at [https://www.butkus.org/chinon/index.html OrphanCameras.com]
*[https://www.butkus.org/chinon/booklet/seneca_amateur_photo_manual/seneca_amateur_photo_manual.htm Seneca camera booklets] at [https://www.butkus.org/chinon/index.html OrphanCameras.com]
*[http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=990CEEDA1330E132A25751C0A9659C946097D6CF Fatal Fire in Rochester] in NYT archive

[[Category:Camera makers]]
[[Category:Tripod makers]]
[[Category:Seneca|*]]