by 
The Curious Bag
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Graflex is the brand name of an American camera manufacturer that specialized in large-format commercial photography equipment that gained popularity in the first half of the 20th century.
History
Graflex was founded by William F. Folmer and William E. Scwing in 1887, with the manufacturing of cameras beginning in 1897.
Ownership
The company was bought by George Eastman in 1905, becoming part of the Eastman Kodak company in 1917. After many name and ownership changes, the company fell into the hands of the Singer Corporation.
Name
As part of the Eastman Kodak company, the brand name Graflex was introduced in 1945.
Uses
As a commercial camera, the Graflex was used for weddings, press, advertising and landscape photography.
Decline
The Speed Graphic model was the last camera to carry the Graflex name on its shutter. Manufacture of Graflex equipment ended in 1973.
Patents
The design and patents of the Speed Graphic were bought by Japanese camera manufacturer Sakai Special Manufacturing in 1982, with the camera reintroduced as the Toyo Speed Graphic.
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