THE VOCO SHUTTER

Vogt Optical Company, Rochester, New York 1900 -1901

From The American Amateur Photographer 1901

The Voco Shutter appears as early as 1900 in The Camera, Volume IV, as part of their "Things New Photographic" section. It stated the new shutter had just been placed on the market and that many new features were added. One was a clever device, that once the shutter speed was set, the shutter could be to be re-opened and closed with a small lever at the bottom without interfering with the shutter speed.

The Voco Shutter also appeared in The Eastern Camera Mfg. Company's 1901 flyer, as part of their "Western" View Outfit. The Voco was offered as a less expensive alternative ($29.50 versus $34.50 for the 8x10 outfit) to the camera being equipped with a Unicum Shutter.

Patent No. 668,965 was issued February 26, 1901 to Louis J. Vogt for the Voco's design, and assigned to the Vogt Optical Company. Vogt previously worked for Bausch & Lomb for fourteen years as an optician, and as a foreman at Reichenbach, Morey and Will before forming Vogt Optical in 1899 with John E. Morey. The new company lasted only three years, closing in 1901.

The example shown here is equipped with a unique mounting system, possibly influenced by Vogt's time at Reichenbach, Morey and Will. Reichenbach, Morey and Will's Alta Camera series was equipped with a similar mounting system, that can also be found on cameras by the Niagara Camera Company.

The Voco is almost never seen today. This is not surprising given the company's short lifespan, an apparently small production run and competition from the popular Unicum and the new Wollensak shutter designs that were emerging during this period.