Briefly became part of Britannia Works in 1895 then resumed business under the previous name. Part of the BPI group from 1915. Moved to Warwick around September 1898.

B.J. Edwards were the first, in 1887, to make Orthochromatic plates in Britain. Edwards became a limited company in 1900, in the 1906 BJA their advertisements states that the founder (B.J. Edwards) now has control of the company once more. The company was acquired by Leto Photo materials Co. (1905) Ltd. in 1909. The Ealing works remained and 'Edwards' became a brand name. Benjamin Joseph Edwards (b.1838 d.1914) was the father of Austin Edwards (b.1865), after retirement from 'B.J. Edwards' he started a small factory - Wisto - in Hayes Middlesex. A photograph of B.J. Edwards is in the BJA 1926.

In the BJA of 1880 a photographic printers is advertised as B.J. Edwards & Co. at 61 Fleet St.

Charles Earp Elliott, dealer and importer. Sometimes styled City of London Photographic Stores.

Originally the printing works of Elliott & Fry; in 1887 or 1888 this part of the business became Elliott & Son run by J.J. Elliott. The sales division became part of Barnet Ensign from 1945.

Joseph John Elliott, b.14/10/1835 d.30/03/1903.

Heinrich Ernemann (b.1850, d.1297) founded the company in 1889.

Jonathan Fallowfield (b.1835 d.1920) opened a chemist shop in 1856 probably in partnership with William Jameson who retired in 1859. The sale of photographic supplies dates to 1860 or before. In 1888 the firm was bought by F.W. Hindley (d.1925). In 1930 the directors are given as F. Duncan Hindley, H.J. Traise and E.J. Collier. The Charing Cross and later addresses were often styled 'Central Photographic Stores'. The BJA of 1898 shows an illustration of the Charing Cross Road address, the BJA of 1925 shows illustrations of the Newman St. premises.

Fallowfield was born in the Brixton area where he lived for all of his life. Frank Miall, associated with Fallowfield cameras, was also from this area.

Louis Aubrey Franks (b.1854) was generally known as Aubrey. He (unless there is a second person of that name) was at 95 Deansgate (and 2,4 King St.) trading as L.A. Franks when made bankrupt in 1879, shortly after that date Aubrey Franks was at 95 Deansgate, trading as A. Franks, optician. The partnership between Aubrey and Benjamin Franks, trading as A & B Franks at 95 Deansgate, was dissolved in 1897.

Founded in 1885. Louis Gandolfi (d.1932) had previously worked for Lejeune & Perken.

Retailer, especially of high quality cameras. Gask was previously a manager at London Stereoscopic.

Founded on 28th June 1894 by Lieven Gevaert (b.1869 d.1935). Their products were not distributed in Britain until 1909 when an office was opened in London.

An 1854 catalogue mentions a Richard Griffin & Co. of Glasgow. The Playfair Collection catalogue states that the brothers Richard Thomas and John Joseph Griffin set up as dealers and manufacturers of chemical apparatus in Glasgow. This may have been as early as 1826 and was certainly before 1837 for which date there is an apparatus catalogue. The London branch was started around 1848.

Charles Griffin was running the firm in 1885 when it was discharged from bankruptcy. John Ross Griffin (d.1921), grandson of John Joseph G., worked at the firm at some point. For a short time, c.1890 - c.1892, Richard C. Murray managed the photographic side of Griffin. A.W. Green ran the photographic side from 1911 taking over from a Mr. Ibetson.

George Hare (b.1828 d.1913) was living at the Pentonville Road address in 1861, at that time he employed eight men and one boy. In 1881 he was living at 26 Calthorpe street and employed 12 men and 3 boys. He was born in St Saviours York where he served an apprenticeship with his father (James) as a joiner, later he moved to London and worked for Ottewill. He remained there for only a year or two before setting up his own workshop. In 1867 he must have had financial problems and agrees payment terms with his creditors. He was survived by three daughters and a son James (b. 1857) who worked for Dale before emigrating to America and was a noted photographer. Some original sources give Hare's date of birth as 1825 or 1826.

Hare is listed as the maker of the Ladies' Camera, a combined camera and darkroom, patented by W.A. Brice in 1876 (BP 1050/1876).

Calthorpe St. at this time ran between Gray's Inn Rd and Phoenix Place, Lower Calthorpe ran between Phoenix Place and Farringdon Rd. Later the whole road was known as Calthorpe.

Adam Hilger Ltd. was founded in 1904. Previously Adam and Otto Hilger had been working in partnership since 1874, F. Twyman was working with them for some of that period. In 1948 they merged with E R Watts to form Hilger & Watts. H & W became part of the Rank Organisation in 1968.

This partnership between Henry Hill and A.L. Adams was dissolved at the end of 1892. From that time Henry Hill worked from 151 Fentiman Rd, probably self-employed. Between 1892 and 1894 four patents were granted to Hill and A.L. Adams.

The partnership between J.B. Hockin, Samuel King Wilson and Charles Hockin, trading as Hockin, Wilson & Hockin, was dissolved in 1866 when Charles H. retired.

Holden was a leading retailer of the 1950s advertising in the AP.

Established in 1884. Merged into Houghtons Ltd in 1904. Patents were in the names of Leonard Holmes; Leonard Edwin Holmes and Herbert Holmes.

Advertised as manufacturers in the 1889 BJA. The partnership between Francis Holmes and William Watson was dissolved in August 1895, Watson carried on the business, probably as W. Watson, until August 1896 when he was made bankrupt.

The Wood in the company title is E.G. Wood who was also in business under his own name in the Cheapside area. Early advertisements show they are the successors to Edward Palmer who was trading from 103 Newgate St. until around 1844. W.H. Thornthwaite probably worked for Palmer. Their 1852 catalogue shows them to be selling Daguerreotype and calotype equipment. The company was still trading from 416 Strand in the 1900s.

William Henry Thornthwaite (b.1819) is described as a retired Optician in the 1881 census. Sons: William Thornthwaite (b.1851) and James (b.1855). Four brothers and three half brothers including Alfred T. Thornthwaite described as an optician.

Fallon Horne was another founder of the company. He exhibited at several photographic exhibitions. The death of a Fallon Horne (presumably the same) is recorded in Thanet in 1858.

A carte de visite in the collection has the address of 213 Regent Street and 121 Newgate Street. Their catalogue offers instructions in photography when equipment is purchased at the purpose built glasshouse at 121 Newgate.

It is difficult to make complete sense of the various company names, it is known that Wood manufactured cameras, along with other scientific equipment, and also had a retail outlet under his own name. He, then, was the manufacturer for H,T & W. Thornthwaite, an optician, probably worked for Palmers who were retailers of scientific and photographic equipment (Talbot bought supplies from them) prior to the formation of H,T & W, so he would have provided optical and retail experience to the group. Less is known about Horne but he did exhibit photographs at several leading exhibitions, oddly though, the early H,T & W catalogues mention equipment as being ' ... Horne & Co's improved ...'.

Horne & Thornthwaite was bought by James Martin in 1884 to be managed by his son G.S. Martin.

Houghtons merged with Butcher & Son in 1926 to form Houghton-Butcher (Great Britain) Ltd. In September 1940 the Ensign premises in Holborn were bombed. In October 1940 the company was liquidated, the goodwill and stock was taken over by Johnsons of Hendon. Stanley Houghton and Fred Butcher, directors of Ensign, joined the board of Johnsons. Johnsons formed a company - Houghtons (Holborn) - to carry on the Ensign business with premises at 94 High Holborn, but this did not last for long. The BJA 1945 shows a photograph of the 94 & 95 High Holborn address and the 89 Holborn address.

Formed in January 1915 as the manufacturing company for Houghtons and Butcher & Son. The share capital was £70,000, the directors were E.W. Houghton, W.F. Butcher, F.W. Thompson, F.E. Butcher, I. Joseph, C.E. Houghton, G.A. Spratt and H.J. Spratt. In 1945 H-B Mfg merged with the sales division of Elliott to form Barnet Ensign.

Merged with Butcher & Son in 1926 to form Houghton-Butcher (Great Britain) Ltd.

In 1904 Spratt Brothers, Joseph Levi & Co., Holmes Brothers and Ilex Camera Works joined George Houghton to form Houghtons Ltd. In 1915 the manufacturing companies in the group were separated to form, together with Butcher & Son, Houghton-Butcher Manufacturing Co.

George Houghton (b.1836 d.1913) the chairman of Houghtons and the son of the founder joined the company in 1852. Edgar Houghton (grandson of founder) joined in 1887, Charles Houghton (grandson of founder) joined in 1890. Edgar Houghton is probably also referred to as E.W. and Charles Houghton as Charles E. A.S. Spratt who worked for the company died in 1908.

The Alliance Roll-film Camera Co. Ltd, connected with Houghtons, was wound up in 1904.

Hughes (b.1819 d.1884) was working as assistant to Mayall in London In the late 1840s he opened a photographers studio in Glasgow, in 1855 he took over the Strand premises of Mayall, the Glasgow studio was then run or owned by Werge. Later studios were at Ryde.

Specialist manufacturer of enlarging and associated equipment, founded in 1873

Not many cameras from this company are known. An advertisement in the BJPA for 1898 claims they are manufacturers and shows a large studio camera. They almost certainly re-badged cameras from other manufacturers. An advertisement in 1887 by Chapman lists Hurman as their agents. The partnership between Ernest William Andrew Schumann and Frederick Kossuth Hurman trading as F.K. Hurman & Co. was dissolved in 1896. F.K. Hurman was elected a member of the RPS in 1894.

In 1909 Ica was founded by the merger of R Hüttig & Son, Emil Wünsche, Dr. Krügener and the camera division of Carl Zeiss (Palmos). It merged into Zeiss-Ikon in 1926. In 1910 Ica claimed to employ over a 1000 people and have a yearly production of 100,000 cameras. Wünsche was founded in 1897.

Merged into Houghtons Ltd in 1904.

Founded by A.H. Harman (b. c.1843 d.1913). Previously A.H. Harman & Co. (f. 1862) were enlargers and printers.

Founded in 1890 by Thomas Illingworth (b.1869 d.1923). At first they were printers and suppliers of carbon material, paper manufacture started around 1904. Thomas Illingworth had retired a few years before his death leaving the company to be run by his son T. Midgley Illingworth. In 1919 Ilford acquired a controlling interest in the company but it was not integrated into the Ilford group until around 1930. Thomas Illingworth was elected a member of the RPS in 1898.

Founded in the early 1890s by J.J. Acworth (b.1853 d.1827). In 1918 it became part of the Ilford group but still retained its own branding.

Listed into the 1940s. George Frederick Wynne (b.1852, d.1933).

Knight is listed as an ironmonger at 41 Foster Lane prior to 1842 and continued in that business from addresses in Foster Lane for several years. From 1842 he is shown as supplying optical goods from 2 Foster Lane.

Knight was an early maker and supplier of Daguerreotype and wet-plate equipment. The partnership between George Knight and his son Richard was dissolved in 1855. The Knight company ceased in 1862 or 1863 following a meeting of creditors that was held in July 1862.

From c.1863 James How was operating from Knight's address at Foster Lane, for some years How styled himself 'successor to G. Knight & Sons', even on the name plaques of cameras. In How's catalogue dated 1864 he states that he was with Knight for 'upwards of twenty years', this would be around the time that Knight started selling optical equipment. For some reason the Knight name is kept alive until the late 1870s. In 1875 How became J. How & Co. An advertisement from 1891 shows How to be selling lanterns and microscope equipment.

How's catalogue of 1864 shows large, wide fronted, premises with a photographers glasshouse at the top. The building is on the eastern corner of Foster lane and Cheapside.

The BJA 1913 shows a photograph of the Kingsway building.

In May 1932 the total production of Kodak cameras reached 2,500,000.