Occasionally I receive a request for information about Wallace Nutting's camera(s); what brand or type did he use to make the millions of photographs that he did and are they still in existance? The short answer is I don't know.

In the twenty-five years of collecting and research on the life and works of Wallace Nutting I have never heard any mention of Wallace Nutting's camera(s). No camera was mentioned in 1941 when Parke-Bernet Galleries auctioned the property of the estate of the late Wallace Nutting. No photographic camera was given to the Framingham, (Massachusetts) Public Library circa 1950 when Esther Svenson, then the sole owner of Wallace Nutting Art Studio donated items belonging to the late Wallace Nutting. Nothing I have read or heard mentions what may have become of Wallace Nutting's tools of his trade.

If we consider what Wallace Nutting wrote about cameras in general in his 1927 book Photographic Art Secrets, we may be able to form a view of what photographic equipment he respected.

On page three of Photographic Art Secrets, in a chapter captioned CAMERA, Wallace Nutting writes:
"There is no secret about the camera. Almost any camera will make good pictures in the right hands. Otherwise any camera is useless. A readily portable and fairly rigid instrument is desirable. But no instrument can be made which will not vibrate in a strong wind. A screw adjustment, not a ratchet, for the front board, is important for quick and accurate work. A side swing is desirable, but not essential. A vertical swing is imperative, except for very short focus lenses. A reversible back is necessary.

Some small cameras are made to turn vertically or horizontally. In this case, of course, it is not necessary to reverse the back. The film pack may be used on four by five, or five by seven cameras, to advantage, with the ground glass. If, however, a somewhat different shape is wanted, like a postal card, for instance, roll film is preferable. In this case one should attach the large direct view finder, mentioned elsewhere, to the outside top of the camera. This finder hinges so as not to give much bother when the camera is folded.

Some cameras are made with a device by which the subject may be described or titled in pencil, so that a legend appears on the developed film. If one makes a great many pictures this device is an important advantage, afterwards, the work of a long day.

While any camera will work there is none that is good enough for a really scientific enthusiast. All cameras have their difficulties. Even with unlimited means it would be impossible to construct a perfect camera, because certain advantages preclude other advantages. A desirable rigidity is obtained only at the expense of great weight.

Cameras are designed to meet the wishes of the largest number of buyers. The camera constructed for this purpose is a marvel of efficiency. Special requirements, however, must be met by special instruments. Thus there is the "sky scraper" camera, to be used with an extremely wide focus lens. For ordinary purposes it is just what is not wanted. In commercial photography the use of such a camera gives, used with the long horizontal, an impression of great size to a factory of moderate size. As an advertisement such a picture may please the owners of the building.

Then there are cameras, just the opposite of the "sky scraper," whose purpose is to photograph objects at a great distance, with the use of the telescopic lens. There are instances in which it is impossible to reach a point near the subject. Even in this case it may be better to use an ordinary camera, and to enlarge the negative subsequently. The field camera is made with a bellows of a length never used, or used too seldom to overcome the disadvantage of a sagging bellows, which may cut off the bottom of the picture.

The best apparatus, if the camerist has only one, is an outfit which will answer for the widest range of subjects. The hand cameras lack sufficient range in the movement of the front board. Nor are they more compact, when folded, than field cameras. In spite of the danger of vibration the author prefers a lightly constructed field camera. It has the widest range for its weight."

When discussing the use, or need, of a tripod Wallace Nutting cautioned, "Except under conditions impossible for a tripod, one should be used, invariably, unless a Graflex and fast work are permissible."

In summery it appears to me that Wallace Nutting was advising the camerist to purchase a camera based on his/her particular needs. I suspect that Wallace Nutting's needs were so varied that he most likely used several cameras. What happened to them? I don't know but if someone offers to sell you Wallace Nutting's tripod mounted Graflex field camera with Sky Scraper instrument, be suspicious. Very suspicious.