This sounds like a process camera. It works just as you described. It can be used for enlarging or reducing the original item which is held in the copyboard (glass covered frame). Some people use these as a basis for making a large format enlarger by adding a light source to the back, negative holder in place of the ground glass, etc. If it is complete, the lens is most likely to be the most valuable part of whole camera.
Strange Bellows Camera
in Large Format
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