THE ROCHESTER 5X7 FOLDING

Rochester Camera Manufacturing Company, Rochester, New York 1892 - 1893?

Although collectors have referred to this camera as "The Rochester” or the "Folding Rochester", and its maker's label found on the loading door says "Rochester", the name is actually the Rochester 5x7 Folding per factory catalogues.

The Rochester 4x5 Folding and the Rochester 5x7 Folding are both believed to have been introduced in 1892. An advertisement from the Boston Camera Club's Exhibition held between from May 2 to May 7, 1892, depicts the Rochester 5x7 Folding equipped with "The Rochester" Shutter:

Source: HathiTrust Digital Library

Both the Rochester 4x5 Folding and the Rochester 5x7 Folding models were offered in Rochester Camera Manufacturing Company's May, 1893 Photographic Apparatus catalogue. It's undetermined whether either model was still being manufactured in 1894, but neither appears in the company's June, 1895 catalogue.

From Rochester Camera Manufacturing Company's May, 1893 Photographic Apparatus catalogue

Rochester Camera Manufacturing Company's May, 1893 Photographic Apparatus catalogue

Production of the Rochester 4x5 Folding and the Rochester 5x7 Folding is believed to have lasted for only two years. Montgomery Ward & Company's 1894-95 Catalogue No.56 and 1895 Catalogue No. 57, both featured listings for the Rochester 4x5 Folding and the Rochester 5x7 Folding. But, with production probably having ceased by 1894, remaining stock was in all likelihood being liquidated through photographic supply houses or retailers like Montgomery Ward:

From Montgomery Ward & Company's 1895 Catalogue No. 57 depicting the Rochester 4x5 Folding

Beautifully constructed of polished mahogany with lacquered brass fittings, the Rochester 5x7 Folding was typical of the first self-casing cameras to emerge from the early 1890's. Like the American Optical Henry Clay, the Blair Folding Hawk-Eye and the Manhattan Optical Night-Hawk Folding and Bo-Peep (Original Model), the Rochester 5x7 Folding was substantially built, with thick brass track rails, large wood-enclosed shutters and larger casings. These characteristics would last for only a few years, giving way to lighter construction beginning in the mid-1890's and culminating with the cycle-style camera before the turn of the century.

Several configurations of the Rochester 5x7 Folding are known to exist:

Rochester 5x7 Folding with Wood-Encased Shutter This version, as seen in the gallery photo at top, has its shutter encased within the lens standard. In the company's 1893 catalogue, it's referred to as the "Patent Automatic Setting Shutter", although I've yet to locate the patent. Similar to that found on Blair's Hawk-Eye, Model of 1891, the shutter's speed is set by placing the tensioning spring's end into one of three slotted positions located on the shutter housing's side near the bottom:

Shutter speed selector

Rochester 5x7 Folding with "The Rochester" Shutter This version exhibiting a more typical lens standard, is equipped with "The Rochester", a sector-style between the lens shutter manufactured especially for this model by the Gundlach Optical Company of Rochester, New York. It's interesting in that "The Rochester" Shutter option is not mentioned in the factory catalogue detail for this model in May, 1893 as seen at top. But this shutter does appear in engravings for 1892 and 1893 as reflected in the supplier catalogues and literature seen on this web page:

"The Rochester" Shutter

Rochester 5x7 Folding with Bausch & Lomb Iris Diaphragm Shutter Again, exhibiting the more typical lens standard, this version as noted in Rochester Camera Mfg.'s 1893 catalogue was equipped with a "B. & L. O. Co.'s Universal Lens and Diaphragm Shutter". At a cost of $60 in 5x7, this shutter and lens combination was the highest priced singular lens option available; which probably accounts for why I've never seen an example fitted with an Iris Diaphragm. The camera shown directly below is actually "The Rochester" shutter-equipped example above, mocked up with a Bausch & Lomb Iris Diaphragm to depict how this version would look:

Rochester 5x7 Folding with Wood-Encased Shutter and Split-Body This version is essentially identical to the standard wood-encased version above, with a few exceptions. A split-body feature was added, allowing for some swing and tilt that extended the camera's capabilities. This version is not shown in Rochester Camera Manufacturing's 1893 catalogue, apparently being available by special order only. Dimensionally, the camera is almost identical to the standard wood-encased version, being a negligible 1/16" greater in depth on this example:

Rochester 5x7 Folding Stereoscopic This stereoscopic version's lens standard was similar in construction to the "The Rochester" Shutter and Bausch & Lomb Iris Diaphragm versions, other than being outfitted with Bausch & Lomb's Stereoscopic Shutter on a wider lens board, presumably an internal septum for stereo work and having its reversing view finder now located on the bed. The engraving below from Rochester Camera Manufacturing Company's May, 1893 Photographic Apparatus catalogue, depicts the Original Model of Bausch & Lomb's Stereoscopic Shutter having individual revolving diaphragms. This first version of the shutter appeared between 1893 and 1900, if ad engravings can be relied upon. Thereafter, the Improved Model was equipped with iris apertures that were linked and adjusted by a single lever, until its discontinuance in 1902:

From Rochester Camera Manufacturing Company's May, 1893 Photographic Apparatus catalogue

Bausch & Lomb Stereoscopic Shutter - Improved Model with linked iris apertures via a single sliding lever

To my knowledge, no examples of the Rochester 5x7 Folding Stereoscopic have been seen. But at least three examples of the Split-Body version with the wood-encased shutter are known. And, as it was with the other early 1890's self-casing cameras previously mentioned, other variations or formats could exist. Per Rochester Camera Mfg.'s 1893 catalogue description, the camera was also available in 6-1/2 x 8-1/2, and the factory was willing to "fit lenses when desired". These options, along with the potential for other modifications that may have occurred during production, could give rise to other unknown configurations.

Several knowledgeable collectors consider the wood-encased shutter version of the Rochester 5x7 Folding, to be rarer than those with the external shutter. And based on approximately two dozen known survivors (both 4x5 and 5x7 models), one is probably twice as likely to encounter an external shutter-equipped version as they are a wood-encased one. Relatively few examples of either version have surfaced over the past 10-15 years, and of the four Rochester 5x7 Folding's I've acquired, two have wood-encased shutters and two have "The Rochester" Shutter, the shutter itself being nearly non-existent and just as rare as the camera.

Owing to a rather limited production which lasted for maybe two years or so, the Rochester 5x7 Folding easily places among the rarest of early American self-casing cameras.

For more information on the Rochester 4x5 Folding, "The Rochester" Shutter, or Bausch & Lomb's Stereoscopic Shutter, look for them under the "Antique Cameras" and "Shutters" sections of this website.

Here's two great links for more information and perspective on the Rochester 5x7 Folding:

Rob Niederman's "Antique & 19th Century Cameras" website: http://www.antiquewoodcameras.com/rochestr.html

David Silver's article "The 1892 Folding Rochester": http://www.photographyhistory.com/CS06/foldingrochester.html

From W.P. Buchanan's Complete Illustrated Catalogue of Photographic Supplies, 1893 Source: HathiTrust Digital Library