Urban “Junior” Bioscope Cinematographic Camera
The Charles Urban Trading Company introduced its new “Junior” or Model A Bioscope Camera in its August, 1907 Catalog. Described as a “Marvellous Value” and it stated “every Exhibitor should possess his own Animated Picture Camera.”
Urban partnered again with Alfred Darling to design and produce this new camera. They first started working together at Warwick Trading Company in 1898 where he created the original Urban Bioscope cine cameras.
The Junior Urban Bioscope was a low cost, simple 35mm camera designed to get animated picture making to the masses. Its advertising suggested that “every Exhibitor should possess his own Animated Picture Camera.” but the camera was also marketed to amateurs, educators and missionaries. It was simple to use, had a fixed focus lens and a low cost design. Urban hoped to sell these in large quantities. It’s unknown how many were actually produced, but they are rarely seen today and this is the first time Ive ever seen this early 1907 model.
“Every Low-priced Motion Picture Camera heretofore offered to the public is more or less a toy. The Urban “JUNIOR” Camera is a high-class scientific instrument, producing photographic results equal to the best high-priced Bioscopic Cameras on the Market.”
Alfred Darling
Alfred Darling began his engineering business in Brighton in 1894 where he met a group of early ‘animated picture experimenters’ also living in Brighton and Hove, including G.A. Smith, James Williamson, and William Friese-Greene. They were later referred to as the “Brighton School” by French film historian Georges Sadoul.
Darling was an amazing machinist and engineer, he understood film movements and was adept at modifying them to meet different needs and avoid patent infringements. He began his work on these animated picture apparatus starting in 1895. Then with the Wrench firm in 1896, manufacturing and patenting film machinery. In 1897 he took out a patent, jointly with Alfred Wrench, for a camera with a variable shutter and a claw pull-down mechanism. By 1898 he became Urban's lead engineer at the Warwick Trading Company, leading improvements to the Bioscope and creating the small gauge 17.5mm Biokam projector for amateur use.
Darling's engineering business was doing so well, he invested in the Charles Urban Trading Company when it was formed in 1903, and he served as a company director.
Darling worked on many of the cameras built at the turn of the century, not only Urban’s but G.A. Smith, Williamson and even Prestwich had designs or parts from Darling. The cameras that he designed and built were among the most successful and reliable that were available at the time.
The Makers Marks
The base of the cameras are stamped with the makers initials and the manufacture date. The camera was hand assembled by P.A.D. in May, 1908.
Inside the camera, the movement is engraved with the iconic AD logo for Alfred Darling just above the gate and again on each film magazine door.
Makers initials and date stamped on bottom of Bioscope. [P.A.D. 5/08]
Movement stamped AD
“The size of Picture which the URBAN “JUNIOR” CAMERA produces is exactly similar to that utilized for the professional Animated Picture exhibits at the various halls and theatres throughout the world.”
1907 Urban Bioscopes and Animated Picture Accessories Catalog
Every Traveller should bioscopically record incidents of his visits to Foreign Countries.
Every Explorer's Photographic Outfit is incomplete without the Urban "JUNIOR" Bioscope Camera.
Every Educational Institution should be equipped with the Urban "JUNIOR" Camera.
Every Missionary should photographically record the progress of his work by means of the Urban " JUNIOR" Camera.
Every Amateur Photographer would experience ten-fold pleasure by embodying motion into his pictures by means of the Urban " JUNIOR" Camera.
“Junior” Urban Bioscope
The kit came in a case ready to shoot that also held a spare loaded film magazine.
WEIGHT OF COMPLETE OUTFIT : 8 pounds.
Measurement of Camera only : 10 inches by 4-1/4 inches by 8-1/4 inches.
Weight of Camera, loaded with 100 feet film ready for operating: 5lbs.7ozs.
The lightness of the URBAN " JUNIOR " CAMERA thus enables you always to have the instrument at hand and ready to procure pictures which are usually missed owing to the heavier cameras not always being available. Even when they are, you expend your energies in lugging the bulky outfit around.
You can make no mistake in the focus of objects photographed with the Urban "JUNIOR" Camera.
The Lens is a set focus—you simply find the view and turn the handle at an even speed of 2-1/2 revolutions per second and THE CAMERA DOES THE REST, unless you want us to develop your negatives and make prints therefrom. No other house can possibly give you equal results. We employ experts and use only the best film.
Each "JUNIOR " Camera is equipped with a combined "reflex" and "direct sight " View Finder. By apparently looking down into your instrument while taking your picture, you are not attracting attention and, therefore, the subjects you are photographing will be more naturally reproduced, than if they are aware of your purpose.
The Mechanism of the Camera is wonderfully simple and reliable—registration between Pictures being PERFECT. Upon this depends the steadiness of the reproduction of the film.
The Camera Case is beautifully finished in well seasoned mahogany, highly polished. Everything pertaining to the Outfit is ofthe highest class workmanship.
Junior Urban Bioscope
Junior Bioscope Instructions:
click image for larger view
W. Butcher & Sons Empire and Urban Junior Bioscope Models
W. Butcher and Sons
Empire Cinematographic Camera
Starting in 1912, W. Butcher and Sons, Ltd., England offered an identical 35mm camera in a similar beautiful Spanish mahogany case, the hand-cranked Empire Cinematographic Camera. The base of the camera has a similar makers stamp with the initials C. W, and a date stamp of 9.13.
Makers stamp on the bottom of the Empire.
Built in September, 1913 by C. W.
The camera was also made by Alfred Darling, both the film gate and two film magazines are stamped with the iconic AD logo. The Empire uses a similar Voigtländer brass bound Euryskop 55mm lens with serial no. 121692. The Euryskop lens was f6.3 and also designed to eliminate the need to focus the camera.
Did W. Butcher and Sons license this design and build their own versions or did Alfred Darling manufacture these for Butcher?
Learn more about this mystery and the W. Butcher & Sons full line of Empire Cinematograph Cameras here.
