This is the first of two articles that describe unique objects held within the collection of the George Eastman House. This first section will review cameras of the 19th Century, while the next section will focus on camera technology of the 20th Century. All images are shot by Barbra Galasso and used with the permission of the George Eastman House, International Museum of Photography and film, Rochester, NY.

George Eastman House is the world’s oldest photography museum and one of the world’s preeminent film archives. The museum opened its doors to the public in 1949 and combines the world’s leading collections of photography and motion picture film with the pleasures of the Colonial Revival mansion that George Eastman, founder of Eastman Kodak Company, called home from 1905 to 1932.

The technology artifacts housed within the archives of the museum are regarded as one of the largest collections of photographic and cinematographic equipment in the world. It is one of the most comprehensive collections held by any institution in North America and only equaled in quality by three other holdings around the globe. It contains photographic objects from the 19th Century to contemporary forms of photographic technology. This includes cameras, processing equipment, motion picture devices, film and a plethora of other examples of historic photographic apparatus. A number of pieces within the collection are unique, representing disting- uished historical ownership or significant scientific achievement.