Albert Posso
Albert Posso was the designer and maker of at least one camera, and had a business making photographic equipment such as plate-holders. He is best known as the designer and maker of the Photo-Revolver de Poche, a revolver-shaped camera sold by Enjalbert (though in very small numbers; only fourteen are thought to have been made).
Posso was a native of Alsace. He was living in Paris at the time of the Franco-Prussian War (1870-71) and worked as an apprentice gunsmith in the Ateliers Nationaux de Réparation d'Armes.[1] As a result of the War, Alsace became German territory, and Posso later served in the German Army, now as a qualified gunsmith.[1] After this service, Posso returned to Paris and worked for the Enjalbert company for some time, before leaving to set up his own business.[1] Posso held a number of patents relating to the design of plate and film holders and film-pack adapters.
Patents
Patents in the database at Espacenet, the patent search facility of the European Patent Office:
- French Patent 296253 of 1900, Chassis photographique métallique à volet, ('Metal photographic frame with flap'; the main Patent itself is sadly not available in the database at Espacenet) describing the design of a metal plate-holder, and four additions to this patent (patent documents FR2244, FR2903, FR3467 and FR3688, describing refinements to the design (extra velvet light-traps, stiffening members, spring members bent so as to hold plates in the correct position, and adapters to accept long, narrow plates for stereo photography).
- French Patent 332341 of 1903, Fermeture de sécurité pour chassis photographiques servant à indiquer que les plaques ont été impressionnées ('Secure closure for photographic frames, serving to indicate whether plates have been exposed').
- French Patent 375960 of 1907, Chassis métallique double pour pellicules et plaques photographiques ('Double metal frame for photographic plates or film') describing what has become a classical double dark-slide, and five additions to this patent (patent documents 10030 (1908), describing minor improvements (a stop to prevent the dark-slide being completely removed from the plate-holder, and an element to prevent the film rubbing on the interior of the holder), 10356 (1909), describing a design adjusted to allow the plate-holder to be used for colour-screen plates (e.g. Autochrome) and an adapter to allow smaller plates to be loaded in the holder, 11318 (1910) describing variations in the design of the stop preventing removal of the dark-slide, 12347 (1910), describing improvements to the light-sealing velvet making it easier to remove the plate, and improvements making the inner frame more rigid, and 14172 (1911), describing another design for the stop preventing the dark-slide being completely removed, and a design for the head of the dark-slide.
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 See the auctioneer's notes on an example of the Photo-Revolver de Poche serial no. 8, sold at Christie's, 16 July 2002, London. The notes refer mysteriously to 'the camera's maker' throughout, not naming Posso.
