THE LIGHTNING SHUTTER

W. D. Gatchel & Company, Cincinnati, Ohio and Louisville, Kentucky 1882-1886

From The Philadelphia Photographer, January, February & March, 1882

Little is known about the Lightning Shutter, other than what can be inferred from advertisements. No patents covering its design have been located so far.

Marketed through W.D. Gatchel (1882), Thos. H. McCollin (1884 & 1886) Sheen & Simpkinson (1884) and T.F. Indermill (1885), the Lightning was made to mount to the back of the lens board. Reference to a "lightning" shutter was also made in Scovill's The Photographic Times and American Photographer Volume XIV for 1884, for the Photographers' Association of American, Cincinnati Convention held in July 1884. Under a section entitled "Manufacturer and Dealers' Exhibits", whereby it was shown by both Thomas H. McCollin and Sheen & Simpkinson.

Both W. D. Gatchel's earlier ads and Thos. H. McCollin's later ads state or infer that they are the manufacturers. For the moment and pending more information, I'll cite Gatchel as the original maker (or distributor at least) based upon their ad being the earliest found. However, both Gatchel and McCollin were photographic suppliers and not known for the most part to be manufacturers.

I've never encountered the Lightning, and as with other shutters of the 1880's that were made in relatively small numbers, an example will be very hard to locate.