Spartus Press Flash

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Introduced as the Falcon Press Flash[1] and Falcon-Abby Electricamera[2] by the Utility Manufacturing Company in New York, this was the first camera with built-in flash reflector[3]. It used old-style Edison screw-base flash bulbs and 120 film rolls. It had two exposure settings, one for "bright" light and one for "cloudy & flash" situations.

The name changed to Spartus with the manufacturer's move to Chicago. Aside from the cosmetics of the front plate, the same design was marketed from 1939 to 1950 under several names, including Regal Flash Master, Falcon Press Flash, and Galter Press Flash[4].

The body was a ribbed bakelite mouldings. The image size was 6x9cm.

Notes

  1. An example can be seen here (view larger), from Totem Pole Playhouse on Flickr.
  2. See the bottom of this May, 1940 advertisement in Popular Photography magazine (Vol. 6, No. 5; page 57).
  3. McKeown, James M. and Joan C. McKeown's Price Guide to Antique and Classic Cameras, 12th Edition, 2005-2006. USA, Centennial Photo Service, 2004. ISBN 0-931838-40-1 (hardcover). ISBN 0-931838-41-X (softcover). Page 943.
  4. This Spartus Press Flash is labelled with "Mfd. by Galter Prod. Co."; photographed by Peter M Lerman on Flickr.

Links


Companies of Chicago (Illinois)
Adams & Westlake | Central Camera Co. | American Advertising and Research Co. | Bernard | Burke & James | Busch | Calumet | Candid | Chicago Aerial | Chicago Camera Co. | Chicago Ferrotype Company | Deardorff | De Vry | Drucker | Galter | Geiss | Herold | Imperial | Kemper | Lennor Engineering Co. | Metropolitan Industries | Monarch | Montgomery Ward | Pho-Tak | QRS Company | Rolls | Sans & Streiffe | Sears | Seymour | Spartus | The Camera Man | United States Camera Co. | Western Camera Manufacturing Co. | Yale | Zar | Zenith
Chicago in depth: The Chicago Cluster‎, a bakelite trust?