Frederick C. Key
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Frederick C. Key
American, active 1850–1860
Engraver, diesinker and "Union Case" manufacturer, Philadelphia, Pa., 1850-1860. He designed cases for S. Peck & Co., 1854 to 1860; and for Scovill Company. As F.C. Key & Son, the firm advertised as "Manufacturer of the Excelsior Daguerreotype Case," and claimed to be the original inventor of the inserted hinge and catch. A hard plastic daguerreotype case exists by Key, with the embossed name on the front, "The Bud and the Blossom". The case is hinged with a single outside hinge, approximately one inch long. A pasted-in label promotes Key as the manufacturer. One example has the photographer's name, S.A. Smith, embossed on the velvet. Smith was listed in Philadelphia in 1859-1860. Information corrected to November, 1997; © 1996, 1997 John S. Craig
http://craigcamera.com/dag/
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