Maton 'Walking Picture' Camera

Maton 'Walking Picture' camera. Made in France. Bakelite body for 35mm film - waterproof paper 47 x 35mm. Fitted with a H Roussel Trylor lens F:85mm f/4.5-32 Serial No164072. Gitzo shutter 25/50/100/B. Front cell focusing. Shutter released by turning handle, which also winds on film through double mutilated roller mechanism. Film fed from small cylindrical cassette to square take up cassette. Prism behind lens laterally reverses image, turning light path through 90 degrees. Two brilliant reflecting finders. Knuckle duster grip. Rotary counter shows exposures made and remaining - 24 total. Serial No2676.

The Maton Camera was manufactured by Multipose Portable Cameras Ltd. of France in circa 1930. The camera was costructed of brown bakelite with two integrated viewfinders for landscape and portrait photographs. It was capable of capturing twenty-four 24 x 30 mm exposures on positive paper backed Matron roll film. It was fitted with a Roussel Trylor 85 mm f4.5 lens with an aperture that can be set to f32 and a Gitzo shutter providing speeds of 1/25th to 1/100 of a second plus Bulb. The camera works similar to a hand-cranked cine camera where a handle on the side advances the film and fires the shutter as it was turned, so pictures could be taken quickly in sequence. Also once the images are developed, the film could be loaded back into the camera with an attachment for a light source, and be projected for viewing.