william hume ‘cantilever’ enlarger

A very large horizontal enlarger by William Hume of 1 Lothian Street, Edinburgh. Hume made a broad range of scientific and photographic equipment. His ‘Cantilever’ enlarging apparatus was launched in 1888 and was advertised in the ‘Transactions of the Edinburgh Photographic Society’ that same year. A number of different versions were made over a period of around ten years, the later incarnations being made without the bellows. This particular example bears a makers plate to the top marked “The Cantilever, designed and made by William Hume, Edinburgh” and to each side a circular glass window is framed with an embossed brass frame with the words “The Cantilever Enlarging Apparatus, designed in 1888 by William Hume, Edinburgh”. Bellows extension is achieved by means of a push/slide arrangement. A sizeable condensing lens - 8” across - is fitted to the inside and the whole measures 86cm (34”) at maximum extension (excluding the rear curtain) and stands 39cm (15”) high. Originally, it would have been fitted with a limelight burner, but this example benefits from a later electrical conversion. The lens is unmarked. NOT FOR SALE