Copyright © 2005 David Silver. THE 1892 FOLDING ROCHESTER A LEGENDARY EARLY AMERICAN SELF-CASING FOLDING PLATE CAMERA! by David Silver 1892 Folding Rochester in 5 x 7 format. An important innovation in the evolution of camera technology was the self-casing folding bellows design popularized in the United States in the early 1890's. These American plate cameras were the first to integrate the lightweight collapsible flexibility of traditional view cameras into a supportive exterior shell that also served as a protective case and provided easier portability. Pearsall's Compact Camera of 1883 was the original yet aborted attempt at such a design, while the highly successful Blair Lucidograph of 1885 was the first to succeed commercially and functionally, and remained in production for many years. The idea was improved, and is most often recognized today, with the Folding Kodak "satchel" camera of 1890 (although it only used roll film until 1892 when it was finally adapted for plates as well), and then further refined with the impressive Henry Clay cameras from the American Optical Company in 1891. Each of these models contributed their own stylistic and structural aspects to the general self-casing concept, but another camera, which is now exceedingly rare and nearly forgotten, would soon follow and provide the blueprint for all the rest to come. The two earliest attempts at a practical self-casing camera, upon which the Rochester improved; the Blair Lucidograph of 1885 for plates (left) and the No. 4 Folding Kodak "satchel style" camera of 1890 originally for roll film (left). The Rochester Camera Manufacturing Company was founded in 1891 by H.B. Carlton (the brother of W.F. Carlton, who founded the Rochester Optical Company in 1883), and immediately went into the production of view cameras and related accessories for professional and advanced amateurs. Noting the success of the earlier Lucidograph series, and then the sudden impact of the Folding Kodak and the Henry Clay, they sought to improve upon and emulate the self-casing design with a model of their own that would provide even lighter weight and more simplified function without sacrificing high quality professional potential. The result was the Folding Rochester of 1892. Like its predecessors, it was internally a simple view camera, a folding bellows stretched across a focusing track between a front lens standard and a rear ground glass screen, built into an integral boxy case that provided support when shooting and immediate protection when stored. However, it incorporated the varied aspects of the others into a more logical and cohesive whole for the first time. Accessing the ground glass viewing screen on the Folding Rochester. The Folding Rochester was available in 4 x 5 or 5 x 7 inch format. It featured an external leather covered wood case with a large downward hinging door encompassing the entire front panel, a much smaller hinged door in the back, and an access door across the upper rear area. A button hidden under the leather at the top edge of the case released the front door, which then dropped and locked into horizontal position with a pair of simple brass braces, and provided a sturdy bed of beautiful polished mahogany with dual brass focusing tracks. Reaching into the camera body, the photographer grasped the front standard, pulled it forward along the calibrated tracks, and locked it at whatever chosen focus distance with a generous brass lever. The front standard assembly displayed more fine mahogany construction and brass highlights, wore a top mounted waist level reflex viewfinder, and trailed a deep maroon red bellows. Another hidden button under the leather at the rear edge of the case released the top door and this exposed the ground glass assembly for loading the plate holders. It also provided access to an internal pivoting lock that released the back door so the photographer could view the ground glass when more precise focus was necessary, and there was enough room in the rear area to store two double plate holders when the camera was not being used. Sliding down the plate holder in the Folding Rochester. While the Lucidograph was awkward to assemble, the Folding Kodak was unnecessarily bulky with its non-camera "satchel" appearance, and the Henry Clay was overly complex with superfluous track sections, the Folding Rochester offered extremely easy opening and set up, a lighter no-frills external casing, and a much simplified bed and track. It was also advertised with a selection of shutters that were similar to the others (made by Prosch or Bausch & Lomb), including one that was designed specifically for the Folding Rochester and complemented its unique personality. This was "The Rochester" shutter, a spring activated mechanism with an external flying wing sector that fired with a most satisfying clang. Outwardly similar to the Folding Kodak's original sector shutter, "The Rochester" was more compact, much easier to use, provided a range of five speeds with a simple tenion adjustment, and even had a provision for time exposures. It was mounted as the barrel section between the elements of a superb Gundlach Optical Company Symmetrical lens, the lens of choice on most Folding Rochesters, and was fitted with a revolving aperture wheel providing four stops. "The Rochester" shutter, which was unique to the Folding Rochester series. Although more commonly illustrated in the advertising from that period, an even more rare variation of the Folding Rochester, in both 4 x 5 and 5 x 7 formats, featured a larger wood front standard that concealed an integral enclosed spring driven rotary shutter. A thin brass plunger on the side sets the shutter with a single push, and a simple pivoting trigger releases it. The tensioning spring protrudes from the other side, where it can be set in a slotted channel for three different speeds. To date, the author has only seen two of these enclosed shutter variations, but they are quite handsome. There are also rumors of a split body model, in 5 x 7 format only, similar to the Folding Hawk-Eye cameras from Blair, that provided a limited degree of rear swings and tilts. No examples of this model are known to exist today. Furthermore, there are notes in the Rochester literature suggesting an intent to add a roll film holder option to the camera by means of a removeable plate holder gate, but none of these have been found either. The latter two variations therefore remain something of a mystery today, and eventually perhaps a potential historical and monetary windfall for some lucky collector in the future. An 1894 advertisement for the Folding Rochester, illustrating the rare enclosed shutter variation. The year 1892 was noteworthy for the number of other self-casing designs that entered the market, including the Folding Premier from the Rochester Optical Company and the previously mentioned Folding Hawk-Eye from Blair, but it was only the Folding Rochester that brought together the most logical aspects of the concept for the many models that would follow. While it was not the very first such camera, it was certainly the formulation upon which American photographic firms would base their own further designs. The Rochester Camera Manufacturing Company produced the Folding Rochester for only about two years, although they continued to sell the remaining stock well after that, and meanwhile introduced an improved series of self-casing plate cameras, called the Poco, in 1893. The rival Rochester Optical Company introduced a similar line, the Premo, around the same time. These were soon followed by a massive wave of self-casing American folding plate cameras that swept through the photographic market for years to come, culminating in the classic press style cameras, such as the Speed Graphic, that dominated the world of professional photography decades later. Two typical examples of the many immediate descendents of the Folding Rochester; the 4 x 5 Poco A of 1895 (left) and 4 x 5 "cycle style" Pony Premo No. 6 of 1899. Today the Folding Rochester is perhaps the most rare and coveted, and certainly the least known, of the early self-casing American folding plate cameras. It was an expensive item, probably very few were produced in its limited two years of manufacture, and the author has personally seen only seven of them in over thirty years of collecting, while hearing rumors of only three more. Two of the seven he has seen appeared on eBay, a heavily damaged 4 x 5 model with Bausch & Lomb shutter that sold for a bit over $1000, and later a 5 x 7 model with "The Rochester" shutter, described simply as an "antique accordion bellows camera", that sold for $1400. Prior to these, no other Folding Rochester had been made available for sale to the general public in well over a decade. (The author notes in 2006: another example, in fairly decent condition with "The Rochester" shutter, appeared on eBay shortly after this article was published and sold for over $1600; the following year another was identified in a private collection.) Goodness knows what a clean and complete example of the enclosed shutter variant would bring, or the split body model, but surely a bidding war would ensue! Without exception, all the known examples of the Folding Rochester exhibit dried and peeling exterior leather, a problem also seen with the Henry Clay, but the camera's value due to its rarity and historical significance outweighs the impact of this single cosmetic flaw. As the least known yet most important progenitor of the American self-casing concept, the Folding Rochester has well earned its legendary status as an enigmatic classic and a vital link in the evolution of 19th century camera technology. The Folding Rochester label. Copyright © 2005 David Silver. All rights reserved. This article first appeared, in slightly edited form, in the July 2005 (issue #157) Camera Shopper magazine. If you'd like to reprint the article, acquire secondary rights, or inquire on the availability of new articles, please feel free to contact the author at silver@well.com, thank you! BACK to the International Photographic Historical Organization article page! GO TO the International Photographic Historical Organization home page! CONTACT the author, David Silver, for more information!