August Semmendinger

August Semmendinger was born on April 9, 1820.{{cite book |title=Württemberg, Germany, Lutheran Baptisms, Marriages, and Burials, 1500-1985 |date=2016 |publisher=Ancestry.com Operations, Inc. |page=236 |url=https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/61023/images/1475221-00893?pId=13407613|via=Ancestry.com}}{{closed access}} Records indicate he emigrated to the United States from Bad Urach, Germany, arriving in the United States on July 6, 1849, aboard a ship named Columbia which had embarked from Bremen. Arriving with Semmendinger was his wife Magdalene, and his one-year-old daughter, Alwine.{{cite book |title=New York, Passenger and Crew Lists (including Castle Garden and Ellis Island), 1820-1957 |date=2010 |publisher=Ancestry.com Operations, Inc. |url=https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/7488/images/NYM237_81-0295?pId=1023567083 |accessdate=13 September 2020|via=Ancestry.com}}{{closed access}}

After arriving in the United States, August lived in Lower Manhattan at 9 Elizabeth Street as a cabinetmaker.{{cite book|last1=Rode|first1=Charles|last2=Doggett|first2=John|title=The New York City Directory, 1854–1855|publisher=New York: Doggett Rode|page=637|url=https://www.myheritage.com/research/record-90100-431163656/the-new-york-city-directory|accessdate=15 March 2017}} In 1855-6 he moved two blocks over to 40 Forsyth Street where his occupation is listed as a box maker.{{cite book|last1=Trow|first1=John Fowler|title=Trow's New York city directory|date=1857|publisher=New York, J.F. Trow|page=744|url=https://www.myheritage.com/research/record-90100-114300750/trows-new-york-city-directory|accessdate=15 March 2017}} Shortly thereafter, August moved to 144 Elizabeth Street where he began to manufacture cameras.{{cite book|title=The New York State Business Directory|date=1867|publisher=Sampson, Davenport Co|page=162|url=https://www.myheritage.com/research/record-90100-462184362/the-new-york-state-business-directory|accessdate=15 March 2017}}

File:ExcelsiorWetPlate.jpg made in Fort Lee, New Jersey.]]

Semmendinger began making cameras in 1859 and claimed to be the first to manufacture "photographic apparatus".{{cite book|last1=Ourdan|first1=J. P.|title=The Art of Retouching|date=1880|publisher=Burrows and Colton|location=New York|page=155|url=https://archive.org/details/gri_33125013853565|accessdate=4 December 2016}} Semmendinger made his cameras in New York City at this time at Nos. 410 & 412 West 16th Street.{{cite book |title=The New York State Business Directory, 1870 |date=1870 |location=New York, NY |page=169}}

Semmendinger was also an early camera designer, and was awarded three United States patents related to camera making. The first, Patent No. 27,241, was earned on February 21, 1860, for a "Photographic Apparatus"{{cite news|title=Operations of the Patent Office|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/168081633/|via = Newspapers.com|accessdate=11 April 2017|agency=Evening Star|volume=XV|issue=2,191|publisher=W.D. Wallach|date=February 25, 1860|location=Washington, D.C.|page=1}}{{free access}} This invention was used to take successive exposures using the same wet plate.{{cite book |title=The Photographic News: A Weekly Record of the Progress of Photography |date=1858 |publisher=Cassell, Petter and Galpin |location=London |edition=Volume XXVII |url=https://archive.org/stream/photographicnews27unse/photographicnews27unse_djvu.txt |accessdate=6 November 2018}} A second patent was secured on August 7, 1860, Patent No. 29,523,{{cite book |title=The Scientific American |date=August 18, 1860 |location=New York, NY |page=[https://archive.org/details/scientific-american-1860-08-18/page/n12 125] |edition=Vol. III - No. 8 |url=https://archive.org/details/scientific-american-1860-08-18 |accessdate=25 September 2019}} for an invention simply described as a "Camera."

By the early 1870s, Semmendinger moved his family and business to New Jersey and purchased land just across the Hudson River in Fort Lee. Here, Semmendinger was awarded his third United States Patent, No. 145,020, for Photographic Plate-Holders. This patent is for what Semmendinger titled his "Celebrated Silver Double Corners." Semmendinger's fourth patent was for "Camera-Stands", issued on March 31, 1874 (Patent No. 149,255).

In the summer of 1874, Semmendinger displayed his "photograph camera box" at the Fifth Cincinnati Industrial Exposition.{{cite book |last1=Kenny |first1=Daniel J |title=Cincinnati Industrial Exposition 1874: Kenny's Illustrated Exposition Guide |date=1874 |publisher=Cincinnati Gazette Co |page=95}} He soon thereafter won a bronze medal at the 43rd exhibition of the American Institute of the City of New York for his "Elevated Camera Stand with double Swing Back Camera Box".{{cite book |title=List of Premiums Awarded by the Board of Managers of the Forty-Third Exhibition of the American Institute of the City of New York - 1874 |date=1875 |publisher=D Murphy's Son |location=New York |page=8 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7xRaaWf6mJcC |accessdate=4 October 2019 |language=en}} He was later an exhibitor at the 1876 Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia where he displayed his "photograph apparatus".{{cite book |title=Official Catalogue of the U.S. International Exhibition, 1876 |date=1876 |publisher=J.R. Nagle and Co |location=Philadelphia |page=[https://archive.org/details/officialcatalogu00cent/page/n1004 661] |url=https://archive.org/details/officialcatalogu00cent}} By 1882, his factory on Gerome Avenue (formerly Eickhoff or Ichoff Street) was a leading Fort Lee manufacturing industry employer.{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/stream/bergencountypano00writrich#page/102/mode/2up/search/Fort+Lee|title=Bergen County Panorama|date=1941|page=104}}{{cite book|last1=Clayton|first1=W. Woodford|last2=Nelson|first2=William|title=History of Bergen and Passaic Counties, New Jersey|date=1882|publisher=Everts Peck|page=253|url=https://www.myheritage.com/research/record-90100-123312387/history-of-bergen-and-passaic-counties-new-jersey|accessdate=15 March 2017}}Bertram, Lucille (2004) Images of America: Fort Lee pg. 25

Semmendinger's "Mammoth plate" wet-collodion camera saw use in remote landscape photography despite its weight and that of the glass plates it used. It was considered a "monster".Fowler, Don D. (1989) The Western Photographs of John K. Hillers: Myself in the Water pg. 20 Semmendinger's idea of utilizing that portion of the camera just under the lens and converting it into a sort of cupboard was thought novel.{{cite magazine |last1=Traill |first1=Taylor, J |date=1881 |title=Exhitibs-Fourth Notice |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-7QaAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA343 |magazine=The Photographic Times and American Photographer |page=343 |access-date=4 December 2016}}

Semmendinger married Magdalene Kinney (b.c. 1829) and together had eight children: Theodore, Alvina, Roland, Guido, Clara, Aloise, August, and Pythagoras.{{cite web |title=1880 United States Census |url=https://www.ancestry.com/sharing/14833716?h=d6466d |website=Ancestry.com |publisher=Census Bureau |accessdate=6 November 2018}}

August Semmendinger died in Fort Lee, New Jersey, on August 6, 1885.{{cite book |last1=Wilson |first1=Edward L. |title=The Philadelphia Photographer |date=July 3, 1886 |page=[https://archive.org/details/philadelphiaphot18862phil/page/424 424] |edition=277 |url=https://archive.org/details/philadelphiaphot18862phil}} His sons carried on the photography business after his death.{{cite book|last1=Chandler|first1=Charles F|last2=Elliott|first2=Arthur H|title=Anthony's Photographic Bulletin|publisher=E. & H. T. Anthony & Company|location=New York|page=357|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kRoTAAAAYAAJ&q=August&pg=PR3|accessdate=16 March 2017|date=1886}}

{{Reflist|2}}

• [http://pdfpiw.uspto.gov/.piw?docid=00027241&PageNum=1&IDKey=D092B9DF2893&HomeUrl=http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO1%2526Sect2=HITOFF%2526d=PALL%2526p=1%2526u=%25252Fnetahtml%25252FPTO%25252Fsrchnum.htm%2526r=1%2526f=G%2526l=50%2526s1=0027241.PN.%2526OS=PN/0027241%2526RS=PN/0027241 U.S. Patent 27,241] "Photographic Apparatus", filed February 21, 1860
• [http://pdfpiw.uspto.gov/.piw?Docid=00029523&homeurl=http%3A%2F%2Fpatft.uspto.gov%2Fnetacgi%2Fnph-Parser%3FSect1%3DPTO1%2526Sect2%3DHITOFF%2526d%3DPALL%2526p%3D1%2526u%3D%25252Fnetahtml%25252FPTO%25252Fsrchnum.htm%2526r%3D1%2526f%3DG%2526l%3D50%2526s1%3D0029523.PN.%2526OS%3DPN%2F0029523%2526RS%3DPN%2F0029523&PageNum=&Rtype=&SectionNum=&idkey=NONE&Input=View+first+page U.S. Patent 29,523] "Camera", filed August 7, 1860
• [http://pdfpiw.uspto.gov/.piw?Docid=00145020&homeurl=http%3A%2F%2Fpatft.uspto.gov%2Fnetacgi%2Fnph-Parser%3FSect1%3DPTO1%2526Sect2%3DHITOFF%2526d%3DPALL%2526p%3D1%2526u%3D%25252Fnetahtml%25252FPTO%25252Fsrchnum.htm%2526r%3D1%2526f%3DG%2526l%3D50%2526s1%3D0145020.PN.%2526OS%3DPN%2F0145020%2526RS%3DPN%2F0145020&PageNum=&Rtype=&SectionNum=&idkey=NONE&Input=View+first+page U.S. Patent 145,020] "Improvement in Photographic Plate-Holders", filed November 25, 1873
• [http://pdfpiw.uspto.gov/.piw?Docid=00149255&homeurl=http%3A%2F%2Fpatft.uspto.gov%2Fnetacgi%2Fnph-Parser%3FSect1%3DPTO1%2526Sect2%3DHITOFF%2526d%3DPALL%2526p%3D1%2526u%3D%25252Fnetahtml%25252FPTO%25252Fsrchnum.htm%2526r%3D1%2526f%3DG%2526l%3D50%2526s1%3D0149255.PN.%2526OS%3DPN%2F0149255%2526RS%3DPN%2F0149255&PageNum=&Rtype=&SectionNum=&idkey=NONE&Input=View+first+page U.S. Patent 149,255] "Improvement in Camera-Stands", filed March 31, 1874

Advertisements for Semmendinger products can be found in these primary sources (listed in chronological order)

• The Photographic Times (December 1873)
• Towler, J. (1879): The Silver Sunbeam: A Practical and Theoretical Text-Book on Sun Drawing and Photographic Printing pg. 678.
• Ourdan, J.P. (1880): The Art of Retouching (Burrows & Colton) pg 154.
• Taylor, J. Traill (editor) (1881): The Photographic Times and American Photographer pg. 343.
• Abney, Captain W. De W. (1883) : Photography With Emulsions pg. 33

• [http://www.semmendinger-camera.com semmendinger-camera.com]

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Category:1820 births

Category:1885 deaths

Category:19th-century American inventors

Category:Emigrants from the German Confederation to the United States

Category:Pioneers of photography

Category:People from Fort Lee, New Jersey

Category:People from Bad Urach