Stereo photography gear

The American Optical Company introduced the Henry Clay Stereoscopic Camera in 1892, which are pictured in the full page ads from The American Annual of Photography and Photographic Times Almanac for 1892, by Scovill & Adams & Co. (New York, NY)

Two photos of a photographer using a stereo camera in February of 1864, from the National Library of Ireland on The Commons (Lord Dunlo in garden with stereo camera & Lord Dunlo with stereo camera facing the three Dillon sisters at base of steps, Clonbrock House: Clonbrock Photographic Collection)

Three Photographs by Clem Rutter, Rochester, Kent. (CC, www.clemrutter.net), present a Stereo Instantograph Camera manufactured by J. Lancaster & Son from approximately 1886 to 1905. "Fitted with a best lens and instantaneous shutter or rapid rectilinear lens for an added cost. Priced at £4 4 0 and £5 5 0 respectively."

For comparisons to standard 'portable' view cameras of the day... Two more items from The American Annual of 1892. One featured in an ad listing the various sizes of 'The Universal Camera', along with another ad for 'The Daisy Tripod' for tourists and ladies - heralding it's lightness and compact size.

The last image depicts a 1888 Hurter & Driffield's Actinograph. Essentially, it's a slide-rule type exposure calculator that attempts to compensate for variations in sunlight 'quality'; based on the film's "Speed of Plate" exposure index, time of day, time of year, and the longitude/latitude of the observer's camera position.