Scovill's Safety Shutter Variation 1

Scovill Mfg. Co. (New York, NY)

Scovill's Safety Shutter Variation 1- c. 1885-c.1895

The American Annual of Photography and Photographic Times Almanac for 1888, ads p. 64

From the presence of the wire bar on this drop shutter, it appears to be a Scovill Safety Shutter that has lost its brass spring that, when it goes under the wire bar at the end of the exposure, brakes dropping panel to a gradual stop.

Its release has a brass leaf spring (on the right in the photo below) to return it to its rest position.

The hole that makes the exposure is cut in a simple square shape, as is the one in the engraving, above.

Variation 1 is thought to be an earlier version, since the release spring of Variation 2 is shown in the engravings from 1888 and later.

Example found with LP744

Example found with LP1053

Notes:

Scovill's Safety Shutter and Scovill's Universal Safety Shutter were advertised on the same page, the Universal model costing over twice as much as the non-Universal. They did not appear in 1886 catalogs, the Scovill catalog of April 1887 being their first appearance.

Both models had a manner of braking the dropping slide, which prevents the jolt made as a drop shutter suddenly stops dropping. The shutter is equipped with one or two brass springs bent outward from the shutter, and a brass rod across the top of the shutter. After the slide has cleared the exposure area, the springs rub on the rod, braking the motion. The further the drop slide proceeds, the more the braking, until finally the hooks at the end of the springs catch on the rod.

The Universal Safety Shutter, differs from the Safety Shutter had a unique way of adjusting the length of the exposure by moving one of the wooden panels, securing it by means of the perforated brass piece.

Starting about 1888, they were equipped with a pneumatic release (brass cylinder).

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