McDONALD'S COMMON-SENSE PHOTOGRAPH SHUTTER

Marketed through Hiram J. Thompson, Chicago, Illinois 1881-1882

From The Philadelphia Photographer, January 1, 1882

From The Philadelphia Photographer, July, 1882 thru October, 1882

Mention of McDonald's Common-Sense Photograph Shutter is made as early as August, 1881, in Scovill's The Photographic Times and American Photographer. The shutter was exhibited by Hiram J. Thompson of Chicago, at the Second Annual Convention of the Photographer's Association of America on August 19, 1881, wherein it "attracted a good deal of attention". Like several other shutters introduced in the 1880's, McDonald's was placed inside the camera behind the lens.

As seen in the ad above, McDonald also applied for a patent for his metallic vignetter. It's unknown as to whether McDonald or someone else actually manufactured the shutter and/or vignetter. So far, no patents have been found for either of these products, which were sold by Hiram J. Thompson as a manufacturer's agent and other photographic suppliers.

I've yet to see an example of McDonald's Shutter or his metallic vignetter.