Agfa Ansco

Agfa Ansco branding precedes WWII image by Voxphoto (Image rights)

For a period of approximately 15 years, cameras originating with Ansco in the USA and Agfa in Germany were branded as Agfa Ansco. In this wiki, Camera models carrying this joint name may be found under either the Agfa and Ansco company pages.

History

In 1928, the USA division of Agfa entered a merger with the Ansco company of Binghamton, New York. Products manufactured in either country were then branded and sold under the dual name Agfa Ansco.

In 1939 the company itself changed names to General Analine and Film (GAF); but the Agfa Ansco name continued as their camera brand.

By 1943, the German associations of the Agfa name were seen as a liability, and it was dropped. Several product lines that had originated in the Agfa Ansco period were then sold under the Ansco name alone.

In the post-WWII period, Ansco resumed importation of some Agfa-manufactured products, for example selling the Agfa Silette and Solinette series under the names Memar and Regent; or the Agfa Isolette series under the name Speedex. (See the Ansco camera list.)

Postwar "Made for Ansco by Agfa" in "U.S. zone Germany" image by R. Steven Rainwater (Image rights)