9 x 11.5 cm or 3.5 x 4.5" negatives question

[walter23]

Hi,

I found a bunch of old family negatives from around the late 1920s or early 30s. No information on who the photographer was or what was used. The negatives measure about 9 x 11.5 cm (or 3.5 x 4.5"). I'm wondering what the actual film format would have been for this, and what kind of camera would have been used. Would this have been sheet film? Is this quarter plate (according to google 3 1/4" x 4 1/4", a bit too small perhaps) or something else? What would be a representative camera for this kind of format?

Thanks,
Walter


Incidentally I did a couple of van dyke brown prints of them and they look really nice. I'll put 'em in the gallery once I get around to scanning them.

 

[David H. Bebbington]

Sheet film is stiff, roll film is noticeably thinner and floppier and has a tendency to curl. Roll film was made in many sizes over the years:
http://www.bvipirate.com/Kodak/FilmHist.html
If your negs are rollfilm and measure 3 1/2 x 4 1/2 inches overall, with picture area 3 1/4 x 4 1/4 inches, they could very well be 118 rollfilm, which as the table says came out in 1900 and was made until 1961. There would have been numerous folding Kodaks which took 118 film, usually better specified and owned by people willing to pay a little more to get bigger contact prints. There would no doubt also have been rollfilm backs to fit onto other cameras which normally took quarter-plates.

Regards,

David

 

[waynecrider]

The negs out of my early 1900's 3x4 Auto Graflex measure 3.25 x 4.25. Some of the holders have removable inserts for plate's.