STEREOSCOPIC CAMERA MODEL XVII
Conley Camera Company, Spring Valley,
Minnesota, later Rochester, Minnesota beginning in 1904 1903-1912
Conley's Stereoscopic
Camera Model XVII, also referred to by collectors and in advertisements as
the Conley Stereo Box, was
introduced in 1903 just as the Sears, Roebuck & Company engaged the company
to manufacture cameras for them. Conley's cameras and other photographic
apparatus would be marketed through Sears, the two companies enjoying a
relationship that lasted for almost four decades.
This 6-1/4 x 6-1/2 stereo box camera is equipped with a
single brilliant view finder and a Time and Instantaneous shutter with its
selector on the front and the shutter release on the lower right edge. Covered
in long grain leather, the camera is simple in design and construction. Conley
cameras were well-built, and their quality is reflected in the condition of this
Stereo Box. More than a century later,
it looks almost as good as the day it left the factory.
According to Photographs
to Phonographs, The Conley Story by David N. Stirling, Mabel, Minnesota,
in 1909, the Conley brothers (Frederick and Kerry) sold 47% of their business
interest to Sears, Roebuck & Company in order to raise capital for a new
building. In 1927, the Conley Camera Company
would discontinue camera production, subsequently becoming involved in the
manufacture of phonographs until being sold by Sears, Roebuck in 1940.
The Stereoscopic
Camera Model XVII was still being offered as late as 1912, in Sears,
Roebuck's Cameras Photographic
Supplies catalog for that year. Although most collectors would hesitate
to call the camera "rare", the camera is extremely scarce, with relatively
few examples having been seen.
Here are two links for some of the best history and
information that you'll find for the Conley
Camera Company and their products:
Photographs
to Phonographs, The Conley Story by David N. Stirling, Mabel, Minnesota
http://www.sevenels.net/Conley/PhotographsToPhonographs.pdf
Conley,
A History and Identification Guide
http://conleycameras.sevenels.net/