THE CONLEY FOLDING MAGAZINE CAMERA
Conley
Camera Company, Spring Valley, Minnesota 1901
Engraving
from The American Amateur Photographer 1901
Conley's
Folding Magazine Camera was an ingeniously designed 4x5 magazine
camera with a 12-plate capacity.
Initial research concluded that this camera was never
produced, possibly due to the declining popularity of
magazine cameras during this period.
However, the camera is referred to in the American Amateur Photographer, Volume 13, April 1901,
article on "Hand Cameras of 1901".
The article is introductory in nature, outlining various offerings from
different manufacturers. Capable of
holding 12 plates, it could easily make exposures in as many seconds via a
handle that pulled each plate into position.
It further stated the camera was equipped with a Wollensak
instantaneous shutter, mounted on a rising and sliding front.
The existence of this design and other Conley patents
were uncovered during a general patent search.
The Conley Folding Magazine Camera was designed by Charles Calvin
Henderson (1868-1942) of Spring Valley, Minnesota, Patent No. 680,203 dated
August 6, 1901, and assigned to the Conley Camera Company. Henderson is also credited with inventing
Conley's Silent Shutter, although patents for the design were granted to Fred V. and Kerry E.
Conley (No. 732,175, June 30, 1903, No. 739,834, September 29, 1903) wherein a
pair of shutter leaves are carried on rotating shafts and fold together as to
overlap. The camera's patent is also
mentioned in David N. Sterling's article
"Photographs to Phonographs, The Conley Story" published in
the Photographic Collector's
Newsletter, Volume III, No. 4, June, 1975. According to
Sterling, Henderson came to Spring Valley in 1895, and was employed as a
machinist at Conley which built a factory there in 1899. Conley would later relocate to Rochester,
Minnesota in June,1904.
If in fact Conley's Folding Magazine Camera ever reached
production, very few would have been made.
I'm not aware of any examples, but if one ever surfaces, it would be a
great find!
Source: Google Patents