Wonderful Improved Seneca View purchased out of estate and as found. Open and closes smoothly and all seems in working order. Bellows are in excellent condition. Pictures show a lot to those who know. Included are two film plates. Condition is dusty and as found , very few small scratches, the lens is there if it works I don\'t know loose and shutter clicker is loose. One other thing I don\'t like is the placement of the brass screws on plate holder it\'s where the two pieces of would meet on top and bottom on left side. I\'m sure one who knows can address this.
Date Introduced: 1904 ; Years Manufactured: 1904-c.1925
Construction: back and front focus via rack and pinion (two gear tracks on top of the base rails); double swing; reversing by removable back;
Materials: mahogany body and clear lacquer finish or ebonized (black pigmented lacquer finish) with corresponding polished brass or nickel hardware, cherry base
Sizes Offered: 5x7; 6.5x8.5; 8x10; 11x14; 14x17; 17x20
Notes:
The differences between the Seneca View and the Improved Seneca View are: 1) the standards of the Seneca View ride on gears and two slots cut in the rail while the Improved standards ride on gears and the top and bottom of one thick slot, 2) the Seneca View back tilt gear is at the extreme right side while theImproved tilt gear is recessed 1/2#, 3) the Seneca View has no corner reinforcement while the Improved top rear standard clips act as reinforcement for the corners, 4) the Seneca View back is reversed by unclipping two separate clips while the Improved has an easy pull lever for back removal/reversal, 5) the Seneca View bellows is self-supporting while the Improved has the extra control and support of a bellows retainer clip patented Nov. 2, 1905, 6) the Seneca View base parts are connected with round thumbscrews while the Improved has a butterfly-shaped thumbscrews. The Improved is stated in the 1906 catalog to have been patented on November 15, 1904.
There are two finish variations, as shown above. One is a traditional reddish stain and clear lacquer with polished brass hardware. The other was a trend-setting ebonized finish, that is, pigmented black lacquer with polished nickel-plated brass hardware. Ebonized finishes had been used to cover the plain wood of most inexpensive cameras in the 1880\'s. In this case, however, seasoned mahogany was used for both finish types, and the ebonizing was strictly a different and elegant appearance. It must have been popular; before long, most manufacturers were offering an ebonized or at least darker finish.
Between 1910 and 1920, there is a slight difference in bed configuration for the Seneca View Improved: the front bed starts out in one piece 1906-1908; then has a removable front extension 1910-c. 1920, then reverts back to the one piece c. 1922 and later. Otherwise most Seneca View Improved cameras appear to be constructed identically.
