THE HENRY CLAY STEREOSCOPIC
American
Optical Company, Scovill & Adams,
Proprietors 1892-1899
First advertised in 1892 as the "The Henry Clay Hand Stereoscopic Camera", it would be
known as "The 5x7 Henry Clay
Stereoscopic Camera" by 1895.
Aside from the standard 5x7 version, it was also
available in 5x8 on special order. The
camera shown here is equipped with Bausch & Lomb's Stereoscopic Shutter:
Bausch
& Lomb Stereoscopic Shutter
The Stereoscopic Shutter is correct for this camera,
which as an option could also have been factory-equipped with a Bausch &
Lomb Unicum Triplicate Shutter:
Bausch
& Lomb Unicum Triplicate Shutter with a Rochester
Optical & Camera Company badge
For more information on both these shutters, see the "Shutters" section of this
website.
The example shown here is missing its carry handle and
its lens standard-mounted viewfinder.
It's a post-1896 model, based upon the Bausch & Lomb Stereoscopic
Shutter (versus a Prosch Triplex Stereoscopic Shutter), tapered bellows (versus
square), low mounted brass track rails (versus elevated wooden) and a lens
board-mounted (versus a body-mounted) viewfinder. These differences can be seen in engravings
appearing in early-to-late 1890's factory catalogues.
An ivoroid label tacked to the front of the extension
track reads "Henry Clay, Manufactured by the Scovill & Adams Co. of
New York". The Henry Clay
Stereoscopic was actually built by
the American Optical Company, who by then was owned by Scovill & Adams.
The Henry Clay Stereoscopic was also marketed as the Stereo Montauk or the Stereoscopic Montauk in 5x7 and 5x8, as
engravings from G. Gennert's The
Montauk Catalogue 1900 are identical to it. The similarities are evident in the shutter,
carry handle, lens standard construction and the track hardware.
The Henry Clay
Stereoscopic is considered quite rare, with only a handful of examples
known to exist.
From Scovill's
The American Annual of Photography and Photographic Times Almanac for 1898
From Scovill's
The American Annual of Photography and Photographic Times Almanac for 1899
From G. Gennert's
Montauk Catalogue for 1900
From G. Gennert's
Montauk Catalogue for 1900
From G. Gennert's
Montauk Catalogue for 1900