Butcher
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W. Butcher and Sons Ltd. was a British camera maker, formed as a pharmacy business by William Butcher in Blackheath in 1887. Photographic items were manufactured from c.1897 by sons of William, W.E. & F.E. Butcher. The name "Primus" seems to belong to this early company.[1]
A headquarters at Camera House, Farringdon Avenue, London EC has been set up by February 1902. Whilst manufacturing some of their own stock, much came by other makers, such as Hüttig and Ica in Germany.
In 1914, war prevented Butcher's German imports, and they joined forces with Houghton in 1915 to form the Houghton-Butcher Manufacturing Co. Ltd. The two companies continued to sell their own brands until their full merging on 1 January 1926 to form Houghton Butcher (Great Britain) Ltd., which became Ensign Ltd. in 1930.[2]
Butcher's cameras
- Cameo Minimum
- Butcher's Cameo Stereo, no.s 1, 2, 3 and 4 (Stereolette?)
- Cameo Speed
- Dandycam
- Domino
- Empire
- Excelsior
- Klimax mod.I and mod.II
- Little Nipper; (a rebadged Gnom {1901}; Aviso, {1907}); the Japanese Cherry is based on these.
- Butcher's Maxim - no.s 1, 2, 3 and 4
- Midg
- Butcher's National Field Camera
- Patria
- Pilot, no.s 2, 3, 3A and 4
- Pom-Pom
- Butcher's Quarter Plate Cameo (c.1910)
- Butcher's Watch Pocket Carbine
- No. 1, 2, 3, 4 and Popular models
- Butcher's Royal Mail Stamp Camera
- Primus Coronet No.1 and No.2 quarter-plate camera
- Primus no.s 1, 2 and 3
- Primus So-Li-To
Bibliography
- Channing, Norman and Dunn, Mike. British Camera Makers. An A-Z Guide to Companies and Products. London : Parkland Designs, 1996. ISBN 0-9524630-0-8 Pp.29–30 and 54–5.
- McKeown, James M. and Joan C. McKeown's Price Guide to Antique and Classic Cameras, 12th Edition, 2005-2006. USA, Centennial Photo Service, 2004. ISBN 0-931838-40-1 (hardcover). ISBN 0-931838-41-X (softcover). Pp.171–3 and 393.
Links & Sources
- Butcher's Cameo on the Living Image
- Butcher's Royal Mail Stamp Camera on Rob Niederman's Antique & 19th Century Cameras site
- Obituary of W.E. Butcher, 1936 (scroll down two pages to p.541)
- ↑ Butcher, W & Sons company profile at The London Project
- ↑ Channing and Dunn, pp.29 and 55, McKeown, pp.171 and 393.
