It must be some type of mounting bracket--I just don't know what for. Maybe a hood of some sort? I've seen them on other camera's in photos but never in operation. Reference the small plate with a wing nut.
Jim,
You just about made my heart stop. I had the camera up at the cabin over the 4th and had been lugging it around. When I saw your comment then looked at the pic I thought "Oh no--the front element fell out in Wisconsin and I never noticed". Thats the fastest Ive gotten out of a chair and across the house in a long time. No worries, its just fine--must have been the flash making it appear that way.
Whatever it is, it must have been a fairly common accessory. I have a Century with an assortment of extra holes, some of which would probably match your accessory. Some of these cameras must have been tricked out with quite a collection of gadgets during their working lives.
I had always thought that the cartoon "Watch the birdie!" line was just a vaudeville joke; maybe now I know how the birdie was attached to the camera...
...
I had always thought that the cartoon "Watch the birdie!" line was just a vaudeville joke; maybe now I know how the birdie was attached to the camera...