HENRY CLAY CAMERA

WITH WALE SHUTTER

American Optical Company/Scovill & Adams, Proprietors circa 1894

This 5x7 Henry Clay Camera is equipped with a Wale Shutter, manufactured by George Wale and marked "Geo. Wale, 6-1/2 x 8-1/2, 8 In., Scovill" on the lens barrel:

The Wale Shutter was introduced by April, 1887, four years prior to the first Henry Clay sliding-bed model of mid-1891. With this Henry Clay bearing serial number of "655" and having hinged bed struts, the camera was probably manufactured just before the mid-1890's. The shutter may have been added later, since the Wale is believed to have been manufactured for maybe three or four years until being succeeded by Scovill's Instantaneous Lens and Shutter, seen in the earliest ads for the Henry Clay. The "Scovill" engraving on the lens barrel, rather than "Scovill & Adams", may also suggest the shutter was made and supplied during the period prior to when the photographic division of Scovill Mfg. Company was spun off in 1889, becoming Scovill & Adams.

This Henry Clay has been re-leathered, and is slightly larger than the standard camera, being factory configured for use with a roll holder. This is evidenced by the presence of small and large circular openings (large opening and tripod mount covered over on this example) which provided access to the roll holder's controls. The base of another roll holder-capable Henry Clay is shown below to illustrate how these openings would normally appear:

The viewfinder is also incorrect for this camera, a replacement for the original viewfinder as seen below on another Henry Clay Camera:

Most surviving Henry Clays are found equipped with the Mathein Shutter. Along with Scovill's Instantaneous Lens and Shutter and Prosch's Triplex Stereoscopic (Henry Clay Stereoscopic), these three shutters appear to have been the standard options offered by Scovill on the earlier Henry Clays based on catalogue engravings. Later in production, Scovill would offer Bausch & Lomb's Iris Diaphragm, Stereoscopic Shutter and Triplicate Shutter (stereoscopic form of the Unicum) and the Unicum - Model of 1897 (depicted in catalogue engravings) on the final model of the Henry Clay Camera. Catalogue descriptions don't actually refer to these shutters by name, and potentially, other shutters may have been factory installed. Elsewhere on this website, you'll find a Henry Clay equipped with a Pneumo Shutter, as a possible example.

Today, every model of the Henry Clay can be considered rare. With just a few examples of the Wale Shutter known to exist, it ranks among the rarest of shutters found on earlier American self-casing and field cameras.

For more information on other Henry Clay models, the Wale Shutter, the Mathein Shutter or the Pneumo, look for them under the "Antique Cameras" and "Shutters" sections of this website.