Wollensak Optical Co., Rochester, N.Y., USA.
Agents were:
Staley, Shew and Co., 88, Newman St, London, UK.
Demaria-Lapierre, 169, Quai de Valmy, Paris, France.
R. Konishi, 2 Nichome Tokio, Japan.
United Photo Stores Ltd, Montreal, etc., Canada.
The company was founded in 1899 by Andrew Wollensak, and at times seems almost more important as shutter makers than as lens makers, and this was the original purpose, and which is reflected in the products imported into the UK, where the lenses are relatively uncommon and where shutters may have been easier to sell. Little in the way of catalogues and lists have been available and the following will be only a rather random beginning to a list of their products.
They did advertise in B.J.A. 1921, p777, mentioning Velostigmats, Verito, and f3.8 Vitax and the Optimo shutter, and offering lenses in 3.5-26in (88mm to 660mm): next year it was just Betax, Gammax, Deltax shutters for Xact Xposure (sic).
Incidentally, in the USA it seems to be well known that Wollensak supplied all or most of the Graphlex Optars on Graphic type cameras up to about 1965, and these were mainly either f4.5 Raptar or f6.8 wide angle Raptar, normally with stops to f22 and fitted in Wollensak Rapax shutters. This was one class of lens which did come to the UK on cameras for the Press after WW2. (Incidentally the Lend-Lease items were mainly destroyed after the War and were not available to the public.) Wollensak became part of Revere Camera Co. (MCM 9/1953) and the Fastax high speed movie camera for up to 8,000 or even 20,000fps was an interest. They were used with Wollensak f2.0 lenses such as f2.0/35mm, 50mm f2 Fastax and 50mm f2 Raptar, (B.J.A. 1960, p241). Wollensak became part of Revere in 1953, and 3M Corp in 1960, and ceased trading in 1972.
Lenses were manufactured from 1902, and the Rochester Lens Co was incorporated in 1905. A BJA advert in 1916 listed Velostigmat, Verito, Vitax and Vesta. Arguably the most valued product are those for Leitz N.Y. while it was sequestered, and possibly portrait lenses such as Verito. The Verito was the only USA lens mentioned in Frerk's lens list in 1926- due to exchange rates, few foreign lenses were selling in Germany, but he thought it worth a listing all the same.
One name from the past is Mr Dawes who spoke to the New England Photographers Association about the darkening of lenses and suggested this was due to changes in the balsam- the B.J.P. 01/11/1918 cited 03/11/1978 p970 questioned this preferrring the idea the glass itself darkened. He also discussed the Patzval lens and the bold 'standing out effect' it gives which he attributed to the curved field it had. Here the BJP author also disagreed, and suggested it was due to the large apertures in use with the Petzval. In retrospect, it seems that Mr Dawes had a good deal on his side of the argument. But his position in Wollensak is not indicated.
