Debrie Parvo 35mm cine camera.
Category
Photographic technology
Date
1908
Materials
Mahogany, Brass, Glass, Leather, Material
Measurements
210 x 147 x 355 mm
Collection
Fox Talbot Museum, Wiltshire
NT 1525244
Summary
Debrie Parvo 35mm cine camera. A hand turned 35mm cine camera in a mahogany case, with brass banding and a leather carrying handle on the top. The wooden casing is an enclosing shell. The gears, film gate, etc. are mounted on, and contained within a metal chassis. On the front panel is a brass knob to open the front of the camera and a further brass knob to unlock the shutter mechanism. Alongside these knobs are 2 sets of very small windows, each of which show red lettering on a white background, "F" and "O". The brass lens mounting has no markings on it. There is a brass lever adjusted helical focusing mount, with a linear scale on camera top, (∞,25,15,9,6, Obj=54 f:3.5). The iris is adjustable by a brass lever on the camera side. The right hand side has the mounting for the turning handle. The rear of the camera features 2 black circular (cloth?) windows, which are possibly a footage counter dial and a cranking speed indicator. There is also a pull-out focusing eyepiece with diopter adjustment and an eyepiece light-trap cover. Beneath this is a spindle coming from the back of the camera, which holds 2 cogged wheels. Additionally there are 2 spring loaded pins, sticking out from the back. On the base is a mounting to attach the camera to a tripod. The side panels are hinged to reveal the movement and two 400 feet co-axial metal film magazines, one on each side. The camera front lifts up to reveal the lens and the mechanism. Markings: stamped top left on the internal metal plate, "J Debrie, Paris, 111 Rue St Naur" above the company logo of an eagle standing on the top of a globe. Bottom left, "Marque Déposée, Apppareil Bté, SGDG, France & Etranger". Right centre, "Le Parvo Sie I No1115".
Full description
A hand turned 35mm cine camera in a mahogany case, with brass banding and a leather carrying handle on the top. The wooden casing is an enclosing shell. The gears, film gate, etc. are mounted on, and contained within a metal chassis. On the front panel is a brass knob to open the front of the camera and a further brass knob to unlock the shutter mechanism. Alongside these knobs are 2 sets of very small windows, each of which show red lettering on a white background, "F" and "O". The brass lens mounting has no markings on it. There is a brass lever adjusted helical focusing mount, with a linear scale on camera top, (∞,25,15,9,6, Obj=54 f:3.5). The iris is adjustable by a brass lever on the camera side. The right hand side has the mounting for the turning handle. The rear of the camera features 2 black circular (cloth?) windows, which are possibly a footage counter dial and a cranking speed indicator. There is also a pull-out focusing eyepiece with diopter adjustment and an eyepiece light-trap cover. Beneath this is a spindle coming from the back of the camera, which holds 2 cogged wheels. Additionally there are 2 spring loaded pins, sticking out from the back. On the base is a mounting to attach the camera to a tripod. The side panels are hinged to reveal the movement and two 400 feet co-axial metal film magazines, one on each side. The camera front lifts up to reveal the lens and the mechanism. Markings: stamped top left on the internal metal plate, "J Debrie, Paris, 111 Rue St Naur" above the company logo of an eagle standing on the top of a globe. Bottom left, "Marque Déposée, Apppareil Bté, SGDG, France & Etranger". Right centre, "Le Parvo Sie I No1115".
Provenance
Part of the Fenton Collection. A gift from British Film Institute in 2017. From 1986-1999, part of BFI collection for the Museum of the Moving Image. BFI purchased collection in 1986 from James Fenton's Museum of Photography, Port Erin, Isle of Man 1976-1986