This camera, a "tropical model" Detective, was created by Paul Nadar, who used it on his 1890 journey to Turkestan, where he tested Eastman-Kodak's new celluloid film. The camera had a removable magazine, which meant it could be used with either glass plates or celluloid film. The one presented here does not have its film magazine. The Express Détective was awarded the gold medal at the 1889 Paris World's Fair.