Baker and Rouse
Baker and Rouse was a maker of photographic materials in Melbourne, Australia, from the late 19th century well into the 20th. Thomas Baker started the company as the Austral Plate Company in 1884. He formed a partnership with John Rouse in 1887; the company was renamed Thomas Baker and Company Laboratory, then Baker and Rouse Australia Laboratory, and finally in 1896 Baker and Rouse Pty Ltd.[1] In the 1890s the company had stores in Melbourne and Adelaide[2] and later also in Sydney and Brisbane.[3] Baker and Rouse merged with Eastman Kodak in 1908, both men remaining as directors.
Austral Plates (made by Kodak Australasia) image by Geoff Harrisson (Image rights) |
Baker & Rouse 6 x 5 Rapid Symmetrical image by Dirk HR Spennemann (Image rights) |
Cameras
Austral falling-plate detective cameras have been seen in several sizes (No. 1A, No. 3 and No. 3A are listed at various websites)
Lenses
Baker Rouse imported lenses from European manufacturers, including French.[4]
- 6 x 5 Rapid Symmetrical [5]
French Origin
- Wide Angle Rectilinear 4 ¼ X 3 ¼ [6]
Notes
- ↑ Introductory page to the Baker & Rouse collection at Museum Victoria.
- ↑ See inscription on this 6 x 5 Rapid Symmetrical.
- ↑ See inscription on this Wide Angle Rectilinear 4 ¼ X 3 ¼.
- ↑ See inscription on this Wide Angle Rectilinear 4 ¼ X 3 ¼.
- ↑ See this lens.
- ↑ See inscription on this lens.
Links
- Austral No. 3A falling-plate camera marked for Baker & Rouse Pty Ltd, presumably dating it to 1908 or earlier, in sespquiped's Flickr photostream.
- Cameras including an Austral No. 3 at Aussiebloke
- Wide Angle Rectilinear 4 ¼ X 3 ¼ images with Nikon D800 (Antique Camera Simulator)