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SPY CAMERAS (Part 1)

In the earliest days of photography, it would have been difficult to use a camera for spying. The photographic process was difficult, slow, and even dangerous. Advances in chemistry and technology have changed all that. Now it is hard to imagine a circumstance where you would be safe from a determined spy.

Our purpose is not to intimidate the citizens of the world. So what if big brother is watching? Who cares? It's almost worth it just so we can admire and enjoy the fantastic cameras that have been designed and used by the big brothers of the world.

Our story starts near the turn of the century. No, not the Y2K version, but the Y1.9K, a world without computers, and mostly without electricity. It seems that as photographic technology improved, from wet collodion plates to dry plates, it became much simpler to use a camera. It also became much simpler to disguise one. Human nature being what it is, disguised cameras began to appear on the market. They were not technically spy cameras, because they probably were not used much by the real James Bond types of the day. Rather, these cameras were used by ordinary citizens who wanted to carry a camera without standing out from the crowd. Several cameras were disguised to look like handbags, briefcases, or packages.

Let's begin by looking at a camera that is disguised only while not in use. The Photo Sac-a-Main (photo handbag) dates from 1895. Actually, the illustrated version is the second model, dating from 1896. Looking absolutely like an ordinary handbag when closed, the concealment lost its effect as you opened the handbag, unfolded the camera, put it on a tripod, focused with a ground glass, inserted a plate holder and took a picture. Hardly a spy operation! It looks and functions like a standard folding camera once the side of the purse opens to reveal its cargo. It is a rather rare item, with not many surviving examples known. In fact, it is quite likely that production was very limited.

In contrast to the handbag which had to blow its cover in order to be used, how about a briefcase that takes pictures through a small hole one end, with the shutter release hidden on the bottom? That was definitely clandestine, and such a perfect concealment that the principle continues to be used today in even more sophisticated devices. The first valise camera, called the "Sherlock Holmes", made its debut in 1912. I wanted to say 'made its appearance', but due to its clever disguise, it would be more accurate to say it made its 'disappearance'. The camera itself is a relatively simple magazine box camera. It takes glass plates, and has a simple mechanism to drop one plate and advance to the next one. This is an important point to remember. Any camera designed to take covert photos must not only be disguised or concealed during the exposure, but also must have a simple or automatic way to advance plates or film without attracting notice. As we advance to more modern spy cameras, you will notice that these are important considerations.

There were several different watch cameras in what we could call the first generation of disguised cameras. Naturally they were disguised as pocket watches in those days. Who ever heard of a wristwatch in the 1880's?

The first of these watch cameras was the Lancaster of 1886, made in England. It was made in both a men's and a ladies' size. A similar camera (illustrated) was made by Hegelein in the USA. Both these cameras have the same shortcoming as the Photo Sac-a-Main, because the disguise is ruined when the photo is taken. The side of the watch flips down, the front of the camera is pulled out, a plate holder is placed on the back, and so forth. While not suitable for spying, they certainly are well qualified as portable, and are the pièce de résistance of any collection of subminiature cameras. We must remember that these designs precede the introduction of rollfilm.

The Expo Watch Camera (USA) and the Ticka Watch Camera (England) were both based on the same design by Magnus Neill. Using flexible film in a cartridge, they were able to simplify the whole business of taking a picture with a pocket watch. They do qualify as clandestine devices, since they still resemble a watch even while being used. However, they were not really tools of the spy trade, but sold as novelty cameras to the masses. Neither the Expo nor the Ticka are difficult to find today, because they were made in enormous quantities. The special Watchface Ticka illustrated here is much more rare than the normal model with metal front and back. Likewise, it is much more valuable to collectors.

Moving the clock ahead to the time of WWII, the technology permitted making a camera as small as a matchbox. In fact, the Expo and Ticka watch cameras had been around for a long time, and were not much larger than a matchbox. However, a real spy would not have been able to conceal his identity if he carried a watch camera that had been sold to the public by the thousands. So why not make a camera disguised as a matchbox? And indeed, the French, and the Germans, and the Americans, and the Japanese all made such devices. Maybe a few others as well. These were not just novelty cameras made for John Q. Public. They were designed to be used covertly to support the intelligence and war efforts on both sides of the conflict. Small format films in special cartridges were the most common solution to the problem of film choice.

The French espionage camera (illustrated) was not really disguised as a match box, but it was about the same size. The lens looked out the long side, hidden behind a sliding door. The American matchbox camera was made by Kodak. It also had the lens looking out the long side of the box. It was a relatively simple design, but effective. One of the German matchbox cameras was reportedly made by Leitz, the famous maker of Leica cameras. Another German matchbox camera had an ingenious design that took the photo out the end of the box. The false box end flipped up momentarily to uncover the lens. This design even had space for a layer of real matches to cover the camera mechanism. When you pushed the box open, causing a photo to be taken, you had only to pull out a match, close the box, strike the match, light your cigarette and walk away in a cloud of smoke with the captured image. Very clever indeed, and beautifully crafted to fit inside a normal matchbox cover. We will cover matchbox cameras in detail in a future article.

Check back for the next installment of Spy Cameras. Meanwhile, smile. Somebody is surely watching you. Maybe this guy.

The pseudo-spy in this photo is really not a spy. But he is surrounded by cameras. The cigarette lighter is really a "Camera-Lite" camera, which also functions as a lighter. The lens for a microdot camera can be easily hidden in a cigarette. The body of the microdot camera is disguised as a button, sewn to the coat. The tie tack disguises the lens for a motor-driven camera hidden behind the necktie. The quartz wristwatch tells time and takes photos. The fake binoculars take clandestine photos in three dimensional stereo. The finger ring conceals the world's smallest motor-drive camera. The Russian book is a cold-war spy camera. All of these devices will be described in detail in future articles.