Rare Kodak panoram ??

Hi everyone, haven’t posted here for a while (been doing more collecting photography rather than taking photographs !)
Wondering if anybody can shed some light on this recent purchase.

A tropical Kodak Panoram (in museum condition !)
Panorams are generally quite scarce (I’ve come across a couple in about 8 years of collecting) but to my knowledge they never made a tropical version ? I’ve searched high and low on the net and cant find any reference whatsoever to this particular one.
Whats more confusing is, inside the back door it’s stamped No1 but the No1 panoram is a very different configuration, it doesn’t have the fold out side doors and drop down back door. My camera looks more like 3a but there still subtle differences.
A useful bit of information is a brass retailers plate on the body says ‘Marshall Field & Company’. Some of you in the US may be familiar with these being a huge famous department store in Chicago that retailed high end goods including photographic.
I know it’s possible this could be a normal leather covered Panoram that’s been stripped and polished but in my experience it just doesn’t look like it. I think the regular panorams had finger joints on the edges and weren’t always made of red mahogany under the leather.
Kind of thinking this could be a specialist one off or something !
Trying to decide whether I sell it to put bread on the table or does it belong in my own collection.....
Any info gratefully received.

hi bill

im no expert by any means, but i know the marshal fields store had catalogs
maybe if you can guestimate the date of the camera ( or ones similar ? )
you can email the chicago historical society to see if they have an online collection
( or not ) of the marshal fields catalogues and you can see if it is there.

my sort of uneducated guess is that like sears roebuck &co MF&C had a thriving photography mail order business
where they sold specialty items, and rebadged items that were made special for them from kodak or whomever...
and your camera is a 3A or whatever you think it looks like, but for marshal fields it was cased differently and it was called the 1A ..
( or maybe it was a showroom piece ? )

good luck with your research !
john

Thanks John, I did actually manage to find a Marshall Fields photography catalogue online but couldn't find this panoram in there. I guess it might not have listed everything and like you I am thinking this could have been a 'speciality' item produced to limited quantities only for Marshall fields ? Harrods dept store do the same kind of thing.
I do know that Panorams where produced roughly from 1899 - 1915. Hoping some Panoram experts on here might shed some light.

Cheers-
Bill

The 1D panoram had the folding back and sides like yours, and the lens door on yours is marked 1D. I believe they were made around 1916, and a lot were made. They were the most common version. I'm guessing someone did a nice job modifying a regular 1D, but one never knows. Very cool though. You can use 120 film in yours

A link to a panoram page
http://www.jamieyoungphoto.com/cameras panoram 1.html

I have a Panoram, No. 1 Model D. It is fun to use! Mine is the regular black leather model. I've seen a guy that stripped the crumbling leather off one of these, and the wood underneath really was nice stuff. That just might be what you have. I'm not an expert though, just a user. Looking the lens door on yours, I do think it was repainted. That's making me think this is a nicely restored/modified one.


Kent in SD

jamie young said:

The 1D panoram had the folding back and sides like yours, and the lens door on yours is marked 1D. I believe they were made around 1916, and a lot were made. They were the most common version. I'm guessing someone did a nice job modifying a regular 1D, but one never knows. Very cool though. You can use 120 film in yours

Click to expand...

Thanks Jamie, I think the puzzle is starting to come together. If I'm right, the No1 went through various modifications with the first one having the curved back then through to the D model with the drop down sides. Mine does not say 1D inside the back door though...where did you see that ? It just says No 1 Panoram. Think I read somewhere though that Kodak were sometimes inconsistent with their markings !

It's likely that this could be a refurbished job but it looks too 'factory finished' for me. I think the Marshall Fields connection could mean it was modified especially for them. Here's a link to the building: http://www.urbansplatter.com/the-marshall-fields-building-chicago-architecture/

I did once have a curved back panoram and shot some 120 film it. Had to modify the plastic 120 spools to fit though.

Two23 said:

I have a Panoram, No. 1 Model D. It is fun to use! Mine is the regular black leather model. I've seen a guy that stripped the crumbling leather off one of these, and the wood underneath really was nice stuff. That just might be what you have. I'm not an expert though, just a user. Looking the lens door on yours, I do think it was repainted. That's making me think this is a nicely restored/modified one.


Kent in SD

Click to expand...

Yes the painted lens panel was the first thing I noticed and made me think the same. If you saw this camera in the flesh it looks like a real professional job and I'm thinking that Marshall Fields had them finished like this as a special order or something. It's quite a common practice for high end dept stores to do this with regular consumer goods.

pm our Ian Grant.

Mine does not say 1D inside the back door though...where did you see that ? It just says No 1 Panoram.

Click to expand...

Its say Panoram 1 Model D.

I think varnish is modern and does appear not beatiful and original.

Look at the front lens doors that acts like a lens cap. It says model D

It's possible I guess that it was a special order for marshall fields, though my guess would be later restoration. If it was a later restoration they did a meticulous and thorough job.

jamie young said:

Look at the front lens doors that acts like a lens cap. It says model D

Click to expand...

Of course does... silly me ! I was only looking inside the back door