Herbert & Huesgen Professional Tripod for Motion Picture Cameras

Among the crate of tripods we posted last week was this most interesting piece from around 1922. It is labeled only by the company that retailed it, Herbert & Huesgen Co. of New York. Herbert & Huesgen was established in 1908 by Henry Herbert and Charles Huesgen, and was a major importer and retailer of European photographic equipment from brands such as Ernemann, Dallmeyer, and Steinheil. In our research, we came across only 3 references to this tripod, all advertisements from 1922. The first appeared in “Moving Picture World” in May 1922 and introduced “The H & H Professional Tripod for Motion Picture Cameras” at a price of $75. The second and third, both from December 1922, come from “The Camera” and “Exhibitors Trade Review” and describe the tripod as a “Brandis Precision M.P. Tripod” that was “Made in U.S.A. by skilled scientific instrument makers”. After detailed cleaning and servicing, we are still left with several questions: When were these tripods manufactured? Who made them? Were they popular? Also, is anyone familiar with Herbert & Huesgen? They were incorporated in 1911 and seem to disappear from advertisements in the early 1930s. The most unique feature of this tripod is that the pan portion is actually integrated with the wooden legs, while the tilt section is a separate piece that fastens to the pan portion. If you have ever encountered one of these, we would love to hear from you.

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