Conley 4x5 Folding Bellows Bed Camera

The camera you see on display is the Conley 4x5 Folding Bellows Bed Camera, circa 1900s-1920s. Manufactured by the Conley Camera Co., of Rochester, Minnesota, that operated from 1899 to 1927. The Conley Camera Company by brothers Kerry and Frederick Conley in originally Spring Valley, Minnesota, where they had been making camera parts in the back of their jewelry store. Their first camera was the Conley Magazine Camera. Within a year, they had expanded into their first space exclusive to camera production, the former Spring Valley Opera House. In June, 1904, the Conleys moved their operation by train to Rochester, Minnesota, and within only a couple of years, the payroll expanded from 16 employees to 135. Sears, Roebuck, & Co bought a 260-share interest in the company, and changed the brand name of their catalog cameras from Seroco to Conley and began to market their products along with Northern Photo Supply Co. in Minneapolis. By this time they were producing 28,000 cameras per year, and tens of thousands of plate holders and other accessories. Conley ceased camera production in 1927, though it would continue to manufacture some accessories and individual parts for another decade. Sears sold the company's excess parts and tools to United Camera Company. The Conley Camera was designed with a folding bed design below that allowed for a compact form when close and extension of focusing. These cameras included various features such as reversible viewfinders, tripod sockets, and various shutter and aperture settings.