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LT. COLONIAL P. MOESSARD
THE FRENCH ENGINEER WHO ADVANCED
FINE PANORAMIC PHOTOGRAPHY -LE CYLINDROGRAPHE
AND LOUIS NEURDEIN WHO USED THE CAMERA EXQUISITELY
BY THOMAS YANUL, 2007
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UNFORTUNATELY, THERE IS LITTLE KNOWN ABOUT MR. P. MOESSARD, A FRENCH MILITARY ENGINEER, BUT I THINK IT CAN SAFELY ASSUMED HE WAS FAMILIAR WITH THE LATEST TOPOGRAPHICAL VIEWING AND MEASURING INSTRUMENTS WHICH WERE OBVIOUS PRECURSORS OF THE SWING LENS PANORAMIC CAMERA. I BELIEVE THAT FREDERIC MARTENS, A YOUNG VIENNESE ENGRAVER BROUGHT TO PARIS BY LEREBOURS IN 1840 WHO PATENTED A PANORAMIC CAMERA IN PARIS IN 1844 OR SO, WAS ALSO LIKELY QUITE FAMILIAR WITH THOSE KINDS OF INSTRUMENTS. MOESSARD'S FIRST PAN CAMERA WAS ANNOUNCED IN 1884-85. DESPITE PUBLICATIONS TOUTING HIS CAMERA IT WAS OBVIOUSLY NOT VERY USER FRIENDLY, AND IN 1889 RELEASED HIS IMPROVED MODEL WHICH THE FIRM OF NEURDEIN FRERE TOOK UP MOST QUICKLY. (THE BROTHERS, WHOSE FATHER WAS ALSO A PHOTOGRAPHER, BEGAN THEIR STUDIO IN PARIS IN 1863.)
THE BROTHER LOUIS-ANTONIN, IS GENERALLY CREDITED WITH BEING THE "OUTSIDE MAN" AS PHOTOGRAPHY GOES ( THE OTHER, ETTIENE, THE PORTRAITIST) PRODUCED A NUMBER OF VIEWS USING THE NEW AND IMPROVED MOESSARD PAN CAMERA. ALTHOUGH THERE SEEMS TO BE NO EXTANT CAMERAS, AND ONLY AN ENGRAVING OF HIS 1884 MODEL IN PUBLICATIONS OF THE TIME, ONE CAN CERTAINLY JUDGE BY EXISTING ORIGINAL IMAGES BY NEURDEIN THAT THE CAMERA - WITH A SOPHISTICATED OPERATOR IN THE FORM OF NEURDEIN CREATED ABSOLUTELY FIRST CLASS IMAGES EVEN BY TODAY'S STANDARDS. SEVERAL AWARDS WERE RECEIVED FOR THE COMPANY'S WORK AT THE 1889 WORLD'S FAIR IN PARIS, INCLUDING PANORAMIC PHOTOS.
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A SMALL DIGITAL CAMERA OVERVIEW OF THE 1889 NEURDEIN PANORAMA, MOESSARD CAMERA
VIEW SHOWING 150 DEGREES. GARNIER OPERA RIGHT OF CENTER, RUE DE LA PAIX ETC.
ORIGINAL PRINT OWNED BY THE AUTHOR - 34 X 81/4" (86.4 X 20.10CM)
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THE GARNIER OPERA IS AT TOP OF VIEW
THE VIEW AS GOOGLE SEES IT TODAY. NOTE THE TWO THIN WHITE LINES
THAT REPRESENT THE ANGLE IN THE PHOTO, BEING ABOUT 150 DEGREES,
PLUS OR MINUS 1-3 DEGREES. WHERE THE TWO LINES MEET NEAR CENTER
IS THE CAMERA LOCATION - FIRST FLOOR (FRENCH), 2ND FLOOR (U.S.).
THOUGH MARKED IN THE PRINT "180 DEGREES", IT OBVIOUSLY IS NOT.
AS A BUILDER OF LARGE SWING LENS CAMERAS I KNOW THAT IT IS IMPOSSIBLE
TO GET 180 DEGREES SIMPLY BECAUSE OF THE PHYSICAL CONSTRUCTION OF
THESE CAMERAS. 150 DEGREES IS A VERY CREDIBLE ANGLE TO GET FROM A
LARGE SWING LENS PAN CAMERA. I SUSPECT MOESSARD CERTAINLY KNEW THAT,
BUT PHOTOGRAPHERS SEEMED TO WANT TO EXAGERATTE THAT NUMBER.
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BELOW - TWO SMALL VIEWS OF THE PAN PHOTO.
CLICK ON EACH ON TO SEE A MODERATELY LARGE
SCAN OF EACH SIDE. NOTE THE LACK OF MOVEMENT -
A SIGN OF VERY GOOD LIGHT GATHERING POWER WITH
A RELATIVELY FAST SHUTTER SPEED. QUITE REMARKABLE FOR THE PERIOD.
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A CUSTOM MOESSARD CAMERA
IN A NOVEMBER 1892 ARTICLE
IN THE ST. LOUIS & CANADIAN PHOTOGRAPHER
MAGAZINE, ONE PAGE HAD A
RATHER DETAILED EXPLANATION OF A GIANT
CYLINDROGRAPH CAMERA (ASSUME MOESSARD)
SENT TO THE CANADIAN PACIFIC RAILWAY. IT
DESCRIBED THE CAMERA, BEING SENT BY
GEORGE HOUGHTON & SON LONDON,ENGLAND,
(CAMERA MAKERSAND PURVEYORS OF PHOTO
EQUIPMENT) WHICH WAS SPECIALLY CONSTRUCTED
FOR THEM. IT GOES ON TO STATE THE SIZE -
TO HOLD A NEGATIVE OF 51 X 17 3/4" INCHES.
ALTHOUGH NO RECORDS HAVE BEEN LOCATED
IN THE CANADIAN PACIFIC ARCHIVES, THERE SEEMS
LITTLE DOUBT ABOUT THE ACTUAL FACT
SINCE THE CAMERA DESCRIPTION IS SO DETAILED.
OF COURSE NO RECORD CAN BE FOUND AS TO
WHO THIS CAMERA WOULD BE OPERATED BY,
POSSIBLY A CONTRACT PHOTOGRAPHER LIKE
NOTMAN AND CO. BUT WE SIMPLY HAVE NO
INFORMATION.
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SOME OTHER HISTORY ON THE MOESSARD CYLINDROGRAPHE
IN AMERICA
ANOTHER LITTLE PIECE OF HISTORICAL REFERENCE ON THE MOESSARD CAMERA IN AMERICA.
THE NOTED PHILADELPHIA PRINTER./ PHOTOGRAPHER FREDERICK GUTEKUNST HAD IMPORTED
A MOESSARD CYLINDROGRAPHE PAN CAMERA AND EXHIBITED IT AT A MEETING OF THE PHOTOGRAPHIC SOCIETY OF PHILADELPHIA ON APRIL 9, 1890. IT WAS AT THIS MEETING
WHERE THE NOTED PHILADELPHIA PHOTOGRAPHER WILLIAM RAU SAW IT. SOON AFTER RAU
HAD A SIMILAR CAMERA MADE WITH A DIFFERENT FOCAL LENGTH LENS. IT SEEMS THAT IT
WAS MADE IN THE STATES BY CABINMAKER/CAMERA MAKER FOR RAU WHO MADE SOME
CHANGES TO THE MOESSARD DESIGN. THE MOESSARD HAD A REMOVABLE BACK WHICH HELD THE FILM. RAU HAD AN INTERESTING SEPERATE BACK MADE THAT HELD A VERY LARGE FORMAT FLAT FILM WHICH THEN WOULD BE USED AS A WIDE FIELD SHOT AS OPPOSED TO THE PANORAMIC ONE. UNFORTUNATELY THERE IS NO RECORD OF WHAT BECAME OF EITHER THE GUTEKUNST MOESSARD PAN CAMERA OR THE RAU CAMERA.
NOTE: RAU DISCUSSED THIS MATTER IN A JUNE 1916 ISSUE OF PHOTO-ERA MAGAZINE, STATING THAT HE NEEDED A CAMERA WITH A SPECIFIC FOCAL LENGTH LENS TO MAKE THE HORSHSHOE CURVE RAILROAD SHOT IN PENNSYLVANIA. SO HE MADE MOCK-UP CAMERAS WITH DIFFERENT FOCAL LENGTH LENSES, AND FINALLY HAD THE PAN CAMERA MADE TO USE THAT SIZE LENS.
SEE PAGE TWO FOR PHOTOS OF RAU WITH BOTH CAMERAS.
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