This object is a doubled-sided 4″x5″ photographic film plate holder for use with a camera with a Graflex back that enables this holder to be attached. It is black and rectangular, with wooden frames on both sides, a metal base in the middle, and metal ridges for holding film in place. Into both frames, flat, flexible plastic plates (covers) can be slid; each of these has a small metal handle on the top edge for easy removal.
Accession Number: 2019.ast.125 (DAA-0123)
Alternative Name:
Primary Materials: Wood, Plastic, Metal: Iron Alloy
Stamped into the frame of one side: “4×5 GRAFLEX PLATE PAT. 2056144” “FOLMER GRAFLEX CORP., U.S.A.”
Scratched into the top of this same frame: “W1”
And scratched into the top of the other side frame: “W2”
Length = 18.5, Width = 12.8, Height = 1.5
This object can hold up to two 4″x5″ photographic film sheets in preparation for use with a camera with a “Graflex” back.
Very Good: The sliding covers show significant signs of use, with many scratches from their sliding up and down in order to install and remove film. The edges of the wooden frames are scratched; in some places, the black paint has been removed.
Associated Instruments:
Manufacturer: Folmer Graflex Corporation, U.S.A.
Date of Manufacture: Mid-20th Century
This object was likely moved from the David Dunlap Observatory in Richmond Hill in 2008, upon the sale of the observatory. It was stored at the Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics until 2017, when it was moved to a new storage location in McLennan Physical Laboratories.
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