Cast iron "Brady stand" side table. As perhaps the best-known US photographer in the 19th century, it was Mathew Brady's name that came to be attached to the era's heavy specialized end tables which were factory-made specifically for use by portrait photographers. Such a "Brady stand" of the mid-19th century typically had a weighty cast iron base for stability, plus an adjustable-height single-column pipe leg for dual use as either a portrait model's armrest or (when fully extended and fitted with a brace attachment rather than the usual tabletop) as a neckrest.^[1] The latter was often needed to keep models steady during the longer exposure times of early photography.^[2] While Brady stand is a convenient term for these trade-specific articles of studio equipment, there is no proven connection between Brady himself and the Brady stand's invention circa 1855.^[3]

A Brady stand is clearly visible in use in context in the late 19th century period novelty photo of a "photographer photographing himself" see Commons image: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Photographer-studio-1893.jpg

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