ANTIQUE AFGHAN BOX CAMERA, original, partially restored, WORKS, film or paper

Description

Genuine Afghan box camera with two lenses, partially restored, TESTED AND WORKING, not a copy - brought from Afghanistan last month.
Includes the original wooden tripod.
This is a very rare Afghan box camera that I acquired in Kabul, Afghanistan three years ago.
It took me four years to find one as every year, the few remaining wooden cameras have been either sold and shipped out of the country or broken up for firewood.
It's a much older camera judging by the wood inside - very smooth to the touch and well constructed.
It is heavy and well built.
I used this camera to photograph on film as I did not have the front piece used to take a photo of the negative on photo paper.
I shot it much like a view camera or 4x5 type field camera.
I shot 9x12 Fomopan film and developed it in D76 using a changing bag and tank while I lived in Afghanistan.
The camera was originally covered in a red vinyl that had peeled off in several places, so I had a local furniture maker recover the camera in black leather.
It still has a slight chemical smell inside from having the developer and fixer inside the camera all those years.
I added a brass fitting around the eye hole and used 'sugu' to shape an eyecup to block out more light.
I fitted small chains to the camera to support the top when opened and made the pull handle easier to grip.
The original lens was the Russian enlarger lens (which I have a brand new NOS lens that is exactly the same as the original - you can see in photos - if someone prefers using that) but I used a Zeiss Ikon lens in order to have a shutter with speeds and apertures for more control when using film or Ilford Positive paper.
There is a leather covered wooden box that is used to hold the film or paper, as you can see in the photos.
I can only post 12 photos so if you'd like to see more photos of the camera, send me your email and I can send more.
I took the last photo of the soldier was taken on Fomopan with this camera and it seems to be light tight.
I would like to add a front piece and use it as intended at some point.
It was missing when I got the camera but that's an easy fix.
I will probably have one made by a carpenter here before it sells, but anyone good with furniture or working with wood can make one.
I also have the original tripod that I added chains to in order to keep it from slipping a leg out.
I put rubber feet on the end of the tripod.
I also added some photos on the side of the camera as examples from the internet of photos that have been taken with this type of camera through the years.
The last photo of the boy was found inside this camera as a negative.
I scanned it and printed it to put under the glass.
Street photographers using this camera would typically take mostly ID photos and some family portraits, though many also hand colored the photos.
Check out the best resource on these cameras and their history here:
afghanboxcamera - enter that into your search engine.  They won't let me post links here.
I have recently seen people using contact printing with photo paper and get amazing results - I've also tried Ilford Direct Positive paper and I've used film of course.
If I had to guess I would say there are less than 20 of these left in the world, with most owned by collectors and expats who bought them while there.
I would like this to go to someone who will take good care of it and preserve the history of Afghanistan.
This camera is in Connecticut and I will ship this by UPS as in my experience they are more careful with packages.  This will be overpacked to protect it and insured, registered mail.