The Utility Mfg. Co. was founded in New York in 1934[1]. They offered several camera lines
including folding cameras and box cameras. Its main camera brand was Falcon, a name particularly associated with a line of "half frame" 3×4 cm cameras for 127 film—for example, the Falcon Miniature. These were molded bakelite cameras in an eye-level style quickly became popular.
In 1941 it was bought by Spartus Corp., and moved to Chicago.
In 1951 its head of sales, Harold Rubin, bought the company and named it Herold Mfg. Co.. It made cameras of its own brand Spartus and under the brand or for other companies The cameras had a distinctive styling.
The related companies Utility, Spartus, and Herold created a great many inexpensive camera models, sold under a dizzying array of brands, from the 1930s into the 1960s. The Chicago brand Spartus is at the center of this constellation.
Cameras[]
==== Utility ====
{{Flickr_image
- Falcon (folding)
- Falcon Flex
- Falcon Junior (Folding Bakelite)
- Falcon Junior 16 (Box)
- Falcon Midget 16 (box)
- Falcon Minette
- Falcon Miniature
- Falcon Minicam Junior
- Falcon Minicam Senior
- Falcon Model Four
- Falcon Model V-16
- Falcon Press Flash
- Falcon Rocket
- Falcon Special
- Falcon-Abbey Electricamera
Spartus[]
Spartus Ful-Vue
image by Mark Anderson (Image rights) |
- Cinex
- Spartus 116, 116/616, 120, 620, Rocket (Box cameras)
- Spartus 35 & 35 F
- Spartus 4 (folding)
Spartus 35
image by David Broglin (Image rights) |
- Spartus Co-Flash
- Spartus Full-Vue
- Spartus Junior Model
- Spartus Press Flash
- Spartus Rocket
- Spartus Six Twenty
- Spartus Spartaflex
- Spartus Super R-I
- Spartus Vanguard
- Spartus Vest Pocket (folding)
Herold[]
Other Herold models that did not use Spartus brand
- Acro-Flash
- Herold 40
Notes and references[]
- ↑ McKeown, James M. and Joan C. McKeown's Price Guide to Antique and Classic Cameras, 12th Edition, 2005-2006. USA, Centennial Photo Service, 2004. ISBN 0-931838-40-1 (hardcover). ISBN 0-931838-41-X (softcover). Pages 941–943
Links[]
- Spartus at One To Seven [1]
- in Sylvain Halgand's Collection Herold cameras, Spartus cameras and Utility cameras
Companies of Chicago (Illinois) |
Adams & Westlake | American Advertising and Research Co. | Bernard | Burke & James | Busch | Calumet | Candid | Chicago Camera Co. | Chicago Ferrotype Co. | Deardorff | De Vry | Geiss | Herold | Imperial | Kemper | Metropolitan Industries | Montgomery Ward | Pho-Tak | Rolls | Sans & Streiffe | Sears | Seymour | Spartus | The Camera Man | United States Camera Co. | Western Camera Manufacturing Co. | Yale | Zar | Zenith |