Dollond

From Camera-wiki.org
Jump to: navigation, search

Dollond was a UK-based optical and mathematical instrument company, founded in 1750 in London by John Dollond (1706-1761) and his son Peter (1730-1820). John Dollond invented one of the first achromatic lenses - patented in 1758 (if not The First, although optician George Bass seems to have made achromats, perhaps from 1729[1]). This lens was used for the first achromatic telescope; the Dollonds went on to make several more inventions in achromatic lenses, telescopes and heliometers. Peter's nephew George Dollond (1774-1852) took over the company in 1819.

Dollond's had sold Cameras Lucidae and Cameras Obscurae in the 18th and 19th Century, and sold film cameras in the early 20th.

  • Dollond Owl 2¼x3¼ inch on 120 film: apparently a re-badged Ensign Carbine[2]

The company existed as Dollond and Aitchison retail opticians until 2009, when its owner, De Rigo, merged with Alliance Boots. Many of the shops still trade under the Boots Opticians name.


Notes

  1. Sphaera article at the Museum of the History of Science, University of Oxford
  2. Owl No. 3 with 10.5cm f/6.3 Lukos Anastigmat and Trichro shutter, at Red Bellows: specification and pictures of the camera; also shows an advertisement for the Owl No. 2.

Sources

  • Encyclopædia Britannica, 2008, Encyclopædia Britannica 2006 Ultimate Reference Suite;

articles on Dollond, George, Dollond, John and Dollond, Peter.

Links

British companies
Adams & Co. | Agilux | Aldis | APeM | Aptus | Artima | Barnet Ensign | Beard | Beck | Benetfink‎ | Billcliff | Boots | British Ferrotype | Butcher | Chapman | Cooke | Corfield | Coronet | Dallmeyer | Dekko | De Vere | Dixons | Dollond | Elliott | Gandolfi | Gnome | Griffiths | G. Hare | Houghtons | Houghton-Butcher | Hunter | Ilford | Jackson | Johnson | Kentmere | Kershaw-Soho | Kodak Ltd. | Lancaster | Lejeune and Perken | Lizars | London & Paris Optic & Clock Company | Marion | Marlow | Meagher | MPP | Neville | Newman & Guardia | Pearson and Denham | Perken, Son and Company | Perken, Son & Rayment | Photopia | Purma | Reid & Sigrist | Reynolds and Branson | Ross | Ross Ensign | Sanderson | Sands & Hunter | Shackman | Shew | Soho | Standard Cameras Ltd | Taylor-Hobson | Thornton-Pickard | Underwood | United | Watkins | Watson | Wynne's Infallible | Wray