Houghton Folding Klito

The Folding Klito by Houghton, introduced in 1900, stands as one of the earliest examples of a 35mm camera format. This innovative folding camera represents a pivotal moment in photography history, as it predates the commercial adoption of 35mm film by several decades. The camera's folding design allowed for portability while maintaining the precision engineering necessary for the smaller format. Made during a transitional period in photographic technology, the Klito demonstrates Houghton's forward-thinking approach to camera design, even though the 35mm format would not become widely adopted by photographers until the 1930s. The camera would have likely used 35mm movie film, repurposed for still photography, a common practice among experimental photographers of the era.

As a folding camera, the Klito would have featured a bellows mechanism that extended to reveal the lens and focal plane shutter. The inclusion of 35mm film capability positioned this camera ahead of its time, as manufacturers were primarily focusing on larger formats for still photography. While not the first to experiment with 35mm, the Klito represents an important step toward the miniaturization of photographic equipment that would revolutionize the field in the coming decades. Its existence in 1900 suggests a small but dedicated community of photographers and enthusiasts who were exploring the potential of smaller, more portable photographic formats long before they became mainstream.