35mm Slide Storage File

kato · Mar 14, 2012

Hello! Let me start by saying I am a casual point-and-shoot photographer. I was hoping to reach out to the PhotoForum community for help getting some information on a cabinet. It's just like an old library card file, only for 35mm slides. I have no idea how many slides it would hold- it has thrty divided drawers, and comes in three pieces (top and two drawer sections- the table is not original) I haven't found anything comparable on line- only archival storage boxes, etc. Any info would be greatly appreciated- thanks!

kato · Mar 14, 2012

Anyone even SEEN anything like this?

Mike_E · Mar 14, 2012

Looks like a nice piece.

If there are no manufacturer marks then it's likely that it was custom made. Hard to think that there would have been a market for something like that for it to have been a standard item of some retailer.

It seems to be a convenient and efficient place to store slides for either a pro shooter or more likely for a publishing company/news paper.

I can't tell, is it walnut? After a good polishing it should look Great.

In any case, congrats on a nice piece

kato · Mar 14, 2012

Thanks, Mike-no labels anywhere, but judging by the construction, it definitely looks like a mass-produced piece. Even if the center dividers were removed (which are installed with the type of narrow-crowned staple you'd find in a cabinet shop), the drawer dimensions could not support library-type index cards, so I don't believe it could be a converted piece. The slots for the smaller dividers are cut right into the drawer sides, so had to have been done prior to assembly (all drawers are finger jointed). I really believe this was manufactured and sold as a 35mm slide storage cabinet- I just don't think it was a "one off". Were slides at one time a library resource right alongside microfiche? Oh- and the drawers are entirely solid maple, and the case appears to be a beech veneered plywood.