From 1890 the firm became Adams & Co. at the 81 Aldersgate address. Robert Abraham died in July 1887.

The firm of Robert Abraham was renamed Adams & Co. in 1890. Adams became a limited company on 30th May 1922 with a capitalisation of £9000, the directors were Benjamin Foulkes Winks and Charles John Bannister (see Airs & Co.). The firm was previously owned by Foulkes Winks. Adams later became part of Aeronautical & General Instruments Limited (AGI). Advertisements claim that Adams was founded in 1860, what, if anything, that refers to is not clear.

The manufacturing side of the firm - Adams Manufacturing Co. - is, at one time, shown as a partnership between Foulkes Winks and Herbert Irving Bell. Bell left the partnership in December 1920.

Adams were major manufacturers of high-quality hand and reflex cameras until the First World War period, from then their product range stagnated though their cameras were still built to a very high standard. They also sold field cameras that may have been bought-in.

The BJA of 1894 shows the Aldersgate Buildings and Aldersgate St. buildings. The BJA of 1899 shows a drawing of the Charing Cross and Bunhill buildings. 24 and 26 Charing Cross Road were the same building, Kelly lists it as next to Cecil Court (north side), it still exists.

A visit to the factory by the BJP in 1896 remarks on the use of machinery to automate the production of regular parts. At that time the factory occupied two floors at Bunhill Row. In 1893 the firm's annual outing included 48 people, presumably mostly employees.

Arthur Lewis Adams (b.1862 or 61, d.1918) was the son of Robert Abraham and started life as Arthur Abraham. He later styled himself Arthur Samuel Lewis Abraham, its not clear if these forenames were original or adopted. Around 1890 he changed his name to A.L. Adams. An article in the BJP in 1918 notes his death which was on 8/11/1918 (he left the considerable sum of £9125), he was living at the time in West Hampstead.

Benjamin Foulkes Winks (b.1861, d.1929) was a patentee along with A.L. Adams of a twin lens reflex. In 1900 he was elected a member of the RPS. In the mid 1900s he was living at Spencer Rd. Wealdstone and later in Ealing. His name is sometimes written with a hyphen between Foulkes Winks, at other times not. Foulkes was originally a forename.

Henry Hill, co-patentee with Adams on four patents, was briefly in partnership with Adams.

Adams often included an emblem on their cameras, before around 1914 the emblem was a stylised A surmounted by a crown or a crown alone, later a lion's head was placed above the A, in advertisements this change corresponds with 'Trade Mark' being added to the emblem.

Wholesale supplier specialising in the manufacture of camera cases but also sold cameras and accessories. Richard Thomas Adams.

Part of Aeronautical & General Instruments Limited.

Retailer. Established in 1885 as Kundandass & Co. in 1900 the name was changed to D.A. Ahuja.

Airs & Co. were started in Croydon around 1886, they specialised in lantern equipment and later developed a general wholesale business, a Bessus camera was also advertised. In 1898 the name of the firm was changed to Bessus. In 1897 George Richard Dunn and Charles John Bannister (b. 1869. See Adams & Co.) joined Airs from Joseph Levi & Co. The original partner, George Percival Spooner, left the firm in 1899. In 1904 the firm was taken over by W. Butcher & Sons.

The firm, established in 1864, were wholesalers and importers especially of sensitised paper. The works at Cathcart became F.W. Vérel & Co around 1891, previously their products had been distributed by Albion Albumenizing. In May 1887 one of the partners in the firm - George Donaldson Finlayson - left, the business was continued by the remaining partners, James Skinner and John Morison Skinner.

Aldis Brothers was established in 1902 when Hugh Lancelot Aldis left Dallmeyer to form his own lens manufacturing company. H.L. Aldis was elected a member of the RPS in 1894. The Photographic Dealer for June 1903 carries an interesting article on the company and describes the manufacturing process, of interest is that Aldis turned their own brass work and made iris diaphragms.

Established 1868. The Photographic Dealer for December 1901 gives a report on the company. David Allan sold the business around 1892, in 1899 it was again sold to H. Le Marquand and Mr. Colley. Following the death of Le Marquand in 1902, J. Hazell ran the firm, he was previously manager.

Camera and dark-slide manufacturer probably supplying the trade.

The partnership between George Carnell and Walter Alfred Allen, camera makers, was dissolved in 1899.

A.W.S. Sanderson worked with Thornton-Pickard before starting the Altrincham Rubber Co. in 1901, they specialised in india-rubber goods but also produced other items such as shutters, by 1904 they employed 24 men.

The addresses given are for Walter O'Reilly patentee of the Demon camera. As well as the Demon conventional field cameras, such as the Cleveland, were advertised. The company was wound up in 1893.

A.P.M. was formed in 1921 by the merger of Rotary Photographic Co. (1917) Ltd, Paget Prize Plates Co. Ltd, Rajar Ltd, Marion & Co. Ltd, Marion & Foulger Ltd, A. Kershaw & Son Ltd and Kershaw Optical Co. Ltd. Later in 1921 they became leading shareholders in Thornton-Pickard Manufacturing Co.

On the 1st February 1929 the sensitive materials side of the company was re-formed as APEM Ltd, this was formed by the Marion, Paget and Rajar divisions. Shortly afterwards APEM was incorporated into the Ilford group.

A.P.M. was renamed Soho Ltd, as the sales division for the manufacturing company of A. Kershaw & Son.

By 1942 Soho Ltd. was listed as a branch of A Kershaw & Son. Following the war the Soho name re-emerged as Kershaw-Soho (Sales) Ltd. Around 1947 Kershaw-Soho was part of the J. Arthur Rank Organisation (through British Optical and Precision Engineers Ltd. a subsidiary of Rank).

In the 1922 BJA the directors are shown as: A.E. Parke (Rajar, Rotary and Wiggins Teape, chairman); Abram Kershaw (Kershaw and Son, Kershaw Optical); Cecil Kershaw (Kershaw and Son, Kershaw Optical); T.L. Parke (Rajar, Rotary and Wiggins Teape); A.G. Pickard (T-P); H.C. Rich (Marion and Foulger); F.G. Thomas (Marion); George Sydney Whitfield (Paget); L.D. Whitfield (Paget); C.F.S. Rothwell (Rajar and Rotary, joint MD); Gerald M. Bishop (Marion, joint MD). An earlier list does not include A.G. Pickard.

Appleton were retailers specialising in lantern equipment and slides. In 1896 they took over the photographic side of the firm Percy Lund and in 1902 the business of Cecil Wray. In the 1890s they moved into cinematography, making films and selling equipment including the Cieroscope, a cine projector or combined camera, printer and projector.

Established in 1848 by W.F. Archer (d. c.1888), at that time they specialised in lantern goods. Following the death of W.F. Archer the firm was run by his three sons, W.J. Archer (d.1902), F.H. Archer and F.W. Archer. In 1898 Wood Brothers was taken over and in 1900 Wormald & Co. was added though Wormald continued to trade under its own name (these two firms may have been connected). By 1904 the firm was run by F.H. Archer, his brother ran a branch business in St. George's Crescent.

Following the takeover or amalgamation with Stokes the company name is given as G & N Stokes & Archer and later as G & N Stokes (Archer & Sons).

Retailers but also sold cameras under their own name.

The firm is best known for its tripods especially the Giraffe of 1900, early products included cameras notably the Patent model of 1887. Founded in 1883. James Ashford.

Founded in 1845 by J.J. Atkinson (d. 1898). In early advertisements they are styled 'American Wholesale & Retail Stores' at this time they specialised in photograph cases and mounts. Frederick Atkinson left the firm in 1900, C.H. Atkinson then ran the company. Atkinson Brothers was registered in 1903 with capital of £1500.

The firm was founded in 1868 when J.R. Johnson, Ernest Edwards and others bought the patent rights, along with the manufacturing and printing facilities, for the carbon process from J.W. Swan.

In 1873 the manufacturing and printing side of the company was sold to J.A. Spencer, J.R. Sawyer, and W.S. Bird who from then traded as Spencer, Sawyer, Bird & Co. The partnership was dissolved in 1874 when Spencer left the company. The publishing side of the firm - Autotype Fine Art Co (chairman W.H. Benyon-Winsor) - was wound up at the end of 1872, whether it then became part of Spencer, Sawyer, Bird or traded separately is not clear.

In 1875 the company was reorganised as The Autotype Co. W.S. Bird left the company around 1893.

John Alexander Spencer. John Robert Mather Sawyer (b. 1829, d.1889). Walter Strickland Bird (b.1827, d.5/2/1912). Charles Sawyer (b.1861, d.22/9/1914), the son of J.R. Sawyer, was manager of the business for several years. Sawyer and Bird ran a photographic studio at 87 Regent Street between 1870 and 1873, this then became Sawyer, Bird & Foxlee. Spencer operated a studio and albumen paper manufactory at Shepherd's Bush.

Baird are listed as scientific instrument makers and chemical dealers, photographic equipment was limited but included the Lothian stereo viewer, they also distributed the Todd-Forret flash lamp, still advertised in 1926. The initials A H B in a triangle was used as a symbol, later the trade mark of the initials in a tripod top was registered.

Previously Robert Ballantine was with Lizars, in 1908 he opened his own shop as an optician and photographic dealer.

Sold the Farringdon enlarger and a range of cheap cameras, they were at the Farringdon address from the early 1890s or before. The firm was voluntarily wound up and restructured in 1896, George Robert Barclay was appointed liquidator.

Richard Beck (b.1827, d.1866) was the first brother to join the firm followed by Joseph Beck (b.1829, d.1891). James Smith (d.1870) retired from the business in 1865, (There was another James Smith microscope maker working at the Royal Exchange in the 1820s.) In 1882 the partners running the firm are shown as Joseph Beck, Robert Kemp and Charles Coppock, in that year Coppock retired from the business. By 1900 Conrad Beck and William Beck Jr. were associated with the firm.

Beck specialised in the manufacture of microscopes, their works in north London was named 'Lister Works' after J.J. Lister the famous microscopist who helped establish the company. From the 1850s they sold stereo viewers of their own design and later manufactured photographic lenses. Camera production seems to have started in the late 1880s and continued until the first world war. Lens production was resumed after the war.

The July 1898 issue of the Photographic Dealer carries an interesting article on the manufacture of the Frena at the Lister works. All the parts were made in-house, parts were made by an individual workman as required based on drawings, jigs and templates, these were then used to replenish stores. Measurements were to 1/100" with fine tolerance levels ensuring the parts were interchangeable. The machinery used amounted to customised lathes, drills, saws etc. This was probably typical of how many workshops operated at the time, it required highly skilled workmen and resulted in low production figures; a long way from the mass production of cameras in factories that was starting to operate in America.

F.O. Bynoe who worked for or was connected with the firm since around 1891 left Beck in 1903 to join Brooks-Watson as business manager, Bynoe had patented a printing frame sold by Beck.

Large retail store, originally ironmongers. They retailed photographic products and sold cameras under their own brand name of Lightening. All addresses are close to each other.

Manufacturers and patentees of cheap cameras. A multi-lens camera was advertised in 1914. Patents include: 7799/1898, 2965/1896. Thomas Peter Bethell.

Photographic dealer established in 1860. His early career was as an artist then as a photographer and picture frame maker. The period as a photographic dealer probably dates from the mid 1880s. He was at the Medlock St. address from before 1881 until after 1901. In 1863 a John Biddle, photographer, was at 58 Peel Terrace, Bury New Road. John Biddle b. Birmingham 1829.

Billcliff was established in 1860, in 1881 he employed 7 men and 2 boys, describing himself in the census of that year as a cabinet maker. He made cameras for Thornton-Pickard and others in the Manchester area. An 1886 advertisement states that he was making McKellan's camera [sic], presumably the S.D. McKellen Patent camera. Around 1890 the firm employed 53 men.

Following Billcliff's death the firm was run by his sons, a report of a visit to the firm in 1904 mentions a brass workshop and up-to-date machinery, by that time the supply of process equipment was becoming important. The firm was still listed in the 1943 BJA. Joshua Billcliff (b.1821, d.1898), sons include Alfred (b.1867), Harry (b.1869), Joshua (b.1872).

The April 1898 issue of the Photographic Dealer records a visit to the new factory at Stetchford and shows the camera making shop. John Boultbee Brooks was connected with the firm.

The partnership between Bland and Charles Albert Long was dissolved in September 1858. William Russell Bland died on 23 September 1863, the premises were then occupied by Negretti & Zambra.

Advertisements from the mid 1880s show him as a camera manufacturer, later he describes himself as a dealer.

Listed as chemists. The partnership between Bolton and Barnitt was dissolved in January 1864. Francis Barnitt was probably linked with Perrins & Barnitt of 22 Conduit St. An advertisement from 1858 describes Bolton as being "late C. Button and formerly Dymond & Co.".

Manufacturer of stereoscopes, cards, slides and albumen paper. Robert Boning was later a photographer at 162 Regent St. The Partnership between Robert Boning (the younger) and Henry Ashford, was dissolved in December 1861.

Manufacturer of the Tayleure dark slide (BP 6992/1888).

This firm introduced the Duoflex camera in 1930 based on the patents of Arthur Edward Bettles (GB 359,656/1931 and 62,045/1931). The company was voluntarily wound up in 1937. The listed address of the company was 113 Queen's Rd, London. This is the same address as H.E. Manistre who was described as agent for the Duoflex.

British Photographic Industries Ltd was a holding company formed in 1915 holding majority shares in Houghtons, Butcher & Sons, Butchers Film Services, Houghton-Butcher Mfg. Co, Austin Edwards and Fordham & Co. In 1920 shares in BPI were offered to the public.

The net 'surplus' for BPI for the year ending April 1923 was £293, for 1924 £110 and 1925 £155. For 1925 the subsidiary companies made a trading profit of £11,813 as against a loss of £11,977 for the previous year.

J.E. Brown advertised in the 1888 BJA as the manufacturer of "the Combination, the Ariel and other cameras and accessories". The Combination used Brown's patent 2496/1885. He was situated at 26 Bowling Green Lane, with a factory at 13a Ann Street. These two premises are in the same area of Clerkenwell.

Brown produced two types of stereo attachment that fitted the front of a camera, he also developed a stereo viewer, published anaglyph postcards, published a book - 'Stereoscopic Phenomena of Light & Sight' and printed a magazine.

At the same time as being at his Strand premises, John Browning was connected with 'Spencer, Browning & Co' at the Minories and 6 Vine St. (factory). 'Spencer, Browning' were the successors to 'Spencer, Browning & Rust'. Browning claims establishment around 1760, he produced optical, mathematical and general scientific instruments. Bankruptcy proceedings were started in 1881. He patented an improvement to the stereoscope in 1856 and supplied equipment to Talbot. The firm was registered in June 1900 with capital of £3000.

Optician and photographic retailer.

Established in 1858, as opticians. In the 1860s they were advertising as lens and camera makers, from the 1900s they are advertising lenses. Charles Burr (b.1839, d.1902) was living at the Devon's Rd. address in 1881.

Established in 1880 by Sir Henry Wellcome and S.M. Burroughs. From 1948 photographic products were distributed by Johnsons. The Tabloid trade mark was registered in 1903.

Adjudged bankrupt in 1863, this was annulled in 1866.

Butcher's origins are as chemists in Blackheath, whilst still at Blackheath they moved into the wholesale supply of photographic goods. Rapid expansion of the firm followed the move to Farringdon Avenue. Products were sold under their own brand names (e.g. Primus, Carbine, Valu).

In 1904 they took over Bessus & Co. of Hatton Garden and in 1907 the firm of 'Chas. Tyler and England Bros' was added. Tyler were leading manufacturers of photographic mounts and had developed a large wholesale business, following the take over the Copenhagen St. works were retained. In 1926 the company merged with Houghtons Ltd to form Houghton-Butcher (Great Britain) Ltd.

The St Bride and Farringdon Avenue addresses are for the same building. These two streets faced each other as they joined Shoe Lane and Stonecutter street. Farringdon Avenue was built in the early 1890s through what was Farringdon market, it remained until the second world war when that area was heavily bombed, Fleet Buildings now stands on the site.

William Butcher died in December 1903. William F. Butcher (b.1866, d.1936) and F.E. Butcher were associated with the firm in the early 1900s. A photograph of W.F. Butcher is contained in the Photographic Dealer for June 1902.

The chemist outlet in Blackheath became Butcher, Curnow & Co Ltd in 1904.

The company was founded in August 1892. In 1903 it was bought by Eastman, after the move to Wealdstone it was merged with Kodak though the company name was retained. Walter Neal was the brother-in-law of James Cadett.

William Edmund Callaghan optician (d.1890). A Kinnear pattern camera exists signed Callaghan.

The firm is first listed in the 1900 trade directories, in July 1900 the partnership between Walter Charles Grubb and Charles Frederick Bamford was dissolved, the business being continued by Grubb. By 1906 Albert Nixon was in partnership with Grubb and the firm had moved to Hackney. In that year (1906) the partnership between Grub and Nixon was dissolved, Nixon continued the business which was still listed until 1921. The firm probably manufactured for the trade, advertisements show field cameras and process equipment.

Manufacturers and dealers in optical and especially cine equipment. Cecil Wray & Co. Ltd was registered with capital of £5,000, the directors were W.A. Thornton, Cecil Wray and C. Atkinson. The business was taken over by R.J. Appleton & Co. in 1902.

When the Baxter & Wray partnership ended Cecil William Baxter continued the optical and electrical business under the name 'C. W. Baxter (late Baxter and Wray)'.

William Isaac Chadwick (d.1913).

The company was founded in 1874 after the partnership with J.B. Payne (trading as Payne & Chapman) was dissolved. Chapman started work in 1858 for Josiah Thomas Slugg, a chemist in Manchester, he then moved, in 1868, to work for Robert Hampson (previously the business of J.J. Pyne at 63 Piccadilly) a chemist who supplied photographic goods. On the retirement of Hampson, Chapman and a fellow employee took over the business to form Payne & Chapman.

The firm operated as dispensing chemists as well as dealing in photographic goods, the dispensing side of the business was later dropped allowing Chapman to concentrate on photographic items which included the manufacture of an early dry plate. A relationship developed with Joshua Billcliff, they jointly patented cameras and Billcliff cameras, such as the British, were sold under the Chapman name.

Josiah Thomas Chapman (b. 1843 Staverton Wiltshire, d.1907). A photograph of J.T. Chapman is in the Photographic Dealer for June 1902.

Cameras sold by Chapman sometimes carry the makers name, examples being: "Made by J.L. Lane & Sons for J.T. Chapman" and "Lejeune & Perken made for J.T. Chapman". Another has the label "The Artists Tailboard made for J.T. Chapman 168 Deansgate"

Patentee and maker of stereoscopes, publisher of stereo slides and views. Photographic dealer. Bankruptcy proceedings were started in 1859, which he seems to have survived. Later he was in partnership with Charles Granvill (as Chappuis & Granvill), this was dissolved in 1869. From around 1862 he is also listed as a photographic artist. Patented an improved stereoscope in 1857 that used a reflector to cast light on the card and folding stereoscopes in 1858.

James Christie was active from the 1890s or before, in the 1900s they sold lantern accessories. Around 1906 they took over Lonsdale Brothers.

C. S. & E. was founded in 1881, in the early 1900s the owner is given as R. Green. It became part of Wallace Heaton in 1929 but continued to trade under its own name. The Central Wholesale Photographic Supply Co. was also operating from 81 Aldersgate in 1899, with R. Green as manager.

C. S. & E were retailers but also sold cameras under their brand name of Salex.

Clifford's catalogue of c.1863 shows several high quality cameras including items from Ottewill. Clifford is also listed as a photographer at the same address. From the mid 1860s the business concentrated on artist's supplies and the sale of prints.

Charles Edward Clifford (b.1822 London, d.1903 Portsmouth).

Shown as optician, lens maker, dealer and importer. Later listed as manager of other optical companies.

Chas. G. Collins was established in 1858 and listed as a camera manufacturer. They probably made cameras for the trade but around the mid 1880s started advertising under their own name. In 1887 T.J. Collins patented a method of locking the front standard of a camera, an advertisement from the same year from Chas. G. Collins shows a drawing of the patent. For one year (1889) T.J. Collins is also listed as a manufacturer at 29 High St. St John's Wood, but the following year the address is occupied by his widow Mrs. H.F. Collins. Collins were granted a licence to use McKellen's patents. Bankruptcy proceedings are recorded in 1874.

Charles George Collins (b.1833). Tom John Collins (b.1854, d.1890) married Harriett Fanny Smith in June 1877.

These two companies are closely connected, in 1900 Columbia took over Monroe Camera Co. and Goldman & Co Ltd, S.L. Goldman was in charge of Columbia. Columbia ceased trading in 1902 when J. Levi purchased their remaining stock. Goldman were at one time agents for the Monroe Camera Co. and shared an address. It would seem that, in Britain, Monroe existed in name only and that distribution was by Goldman. With the merger of Monroe in the United States into the Rochester Optical and Camera Company, the agency for Britain was lost. To preserve the firm, Columbia was created to distribute cameras made by Mangold in the UK. In its short existence Mangold/Columbia may have modified left over stock rather than manufactured cameras from scratch, advertisements show models that are clearly of American origin.

For a description of the Compass camera and information on Pemberton Billing see Compass II.

Dealers. The two addresses were then occupied by the Photographic Apparatus & Chemical Co. Ltd. Joseph Montague Copeland.

K.G. Corfield (Sales) Ltd. (Charlotte St. and Newman St. addresses) was a sales office after the manufacturing branch moved from Wolverhampton to Northern Ireland.

In 1939 the firm was owned by Frederick John Pettifer. The style of name used by the company does not seem to be correct as Coronet Camera Co. Ltd was used in a Ministry of Home Security document dated 1940.

In an 1858 catalogue Cox claims the firm has been established for 130 years. Cox sold general scientific and optical equipment. From 1882 the business of F.J. Cox was continued by H & E.J. Dale at 26 Ludgate Hill. The Skinner street address is sometimes styled "City of London Photographic Establishment" and with the area of Snow Hill.

In 1882 Frederick James Cox (b. Shoreditch 1835) was living at The Laurels, High St. Dulwich, sometime before 1891 he moved to Eastbourne where he is shown as an optician (probably at 56 Terminus Rd).

Books by F.J. Cox: Photographic Tourist; Compendium of Photography.

Crouch is best known as a maker of microscopes, he advertised camera lenses and cameras from the late 1880s until the early 1890s. H. & W. Crouch are recorded at 64a Bishopsgate St. in the 1860s. In the 1890s and 1900s the firm was owned by Pearce Henry Crouch (b.1839) still trading as Henry Crouch at the Barbican address and living at Grove Hill, Woodford, Essex when he is before the bankruptcy court.

Listed as camera maker and cabinet maker for scientific apparatus. Croughton died on 19/3/1865.

It is not certain that the these two addresses apply to the same person, Charles Cusworth is listed in the LPOD directories between 1887 and 1894 at the Bridgewater Sq. address, which is a manufacturing area. C. Cusworth is listed in the BJ Almanac in 1892 and 1893 showing the Leytonstone address. He is also adverting a detective camera, the Repeater, and dark slides in the Photography Annual for 1891. A C. Cusworth was awarded a patent for a field camera in 1887 (BP 4710/1887), examples of which exist.