THE QUEEN TIME & INSTANTANEOUS PNEUMATIC SHUTTER

James W. Queen & Company, 924 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 1886-1892

This was the first James W. Queen shutter to use their "Time & Instantaneous" name, a wooden drop-style shutter with a pneumatic release. Queen, although known for private-branding products by others, may have actually manufactured this shutter. Its design was patented by Joseph J. Fox, Patent No. 366,947 dated July 19, 1887, and assigned to James W. Queen & Company.

The shutter is similar to those produced by Scovill and Anthony, however the pneumatic release is positioned on the side rather than at the end, as in the Scovill and Anthony. By 1887, it was labeled Queen & Company's Patent Time & Instantaneous Shutter. In 1891, it was referred to as the Time & Instantaneous Pneumatic Shutter, now appearing alongside the more advanced Queen Time & Instantaneous Shutter and a less expensive drop-style shutter known as the "Simple Instantaneous Drop".

The shutter is stamped "Jas. W. Queen Co.. Pat. Applied For", dating the shutter prior to the issuance of the 1887 patent. The company's name was also shortened to "Queen & Company" in 1893, suggesting that this shutter was no longer manufactured beyond 1892.