This is the ultra-rare Movette (1918) home movie camera.
The Movette system, introduced in 1917, was the first to solve many of the problems that had crippled the home movie market. The camera was a "point-and-shoot" model with fixed focus and shutter speed, and the film came pre-loaded in cassettes. The user simply inserted a film cartridge, shut the camera, and turned the crank. As with Eastman's Kodak, the exposed film was mailed to Rochester for printing and developing.
The inventor of the system was a Mr. Frank L. Hough of Chicago. The Movette Camera Company was organized in Rochester in 1916, and was first located at 1155 University Avenue. In November 1917 it was incorporated as Movette Inc., with a capital stock of $1,250,000, and the plant was moved to 545 West Avenue. In 1920 they moved again to 295 State Street. The chairman was then Homer Strong, the secretary W. F. Strang, and the president was Howard Strong. In 1921 Homer Strong took over as president. In 1922 the company moved to 101 North Water Street, and by 1927 it had disappeared.
“...the Movette system represented the first real attempt to simplify film-making for the non-expert with its magazine loading camera and projector, fixed focus and fixed aperture lens which required no adjustment and reasonably economic film costs. ”
— Brian Coe