1890’s Henry Clay Camera With Mathein Shutter
$975.00
Ships Worldwide.
Historic self-casing camera manufactured by American Optical for Scovill & Adams throughout the 1890’s. Thousands were sold, but the cameras — large, complex and plagued by condition issues — were typically discarded by their original owners rather than passed down to descendants.
This 5×7 example has a desirable Mathein pneumatic shutter and includes its original plate holders (2), ground glass insert, viewfinder and dark cloth.
Condition is good, with typical leather loss/wear/touch-ups on all sides of the case’s exterior. The right strap holder has been repaired, the bed has new leather on the underside, and the ground glass has a hairline fracture — reinforced with clear tape — but no missing glass. Plate holders retain their original dark slides and are in good condition overall, with two small missing corner sections on one side of one holder.
The Mathein shutter is in good condition; it cocks and fires. Lens is clear and undamaged.
Dark cloth is in good condition.
A nice, complete example of a scarce American camera.
SOLD
