Info on a A COIFFIER petzval

[Craig Tuffin]

Another lens I just acquired is very nice petzval stamped with 'A COIFFIER' and 'Paris'. I haven't heard of this maker before. Could be another one of those opticien's producing lenses as they did but I can't seem to find anything on this one. Perhaps someone here has heard of them?

[goamules]

These are reputed to be late 1850s to 1860s lenses.

[Craig Tuffin]

Thanks Garrett!

[Steven Tribe]

A. Coiffier, Paris found!

I decided to do a google search with just the name and magic lantern. Many of the early camera "objectifs" have addresses and the design registration initials.

There he was - in the 1880's and 1890s as manufacturer of magic lanterns:

Here is some copied data.


LUCERNA – the Magic Lantern Web Resource Current user: Read-only access

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Person record: COIFFIER, A. (fl.1880s)
Chronology view Category view
This view shows the same data as the Category view, but with life events arranged in date order
Full name A. COIFFIER
Gender unknown
Relevance of this person manager of lantern manufacturing and supply business
Main period of activity 1880s
Chronology Date Age Event/activity
date unknown born at unknown location
date unknown died at unknown location
1884 unknown connection Société des Lunetiers
Lucerna ID no. 6003864 Record created by Richard Crangle. Last updated 16 March 2012

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and



Description: Riley Bros Ltd., Bradford "The Prestantia" Magic Lantern, the pressed metal body with brass finish bound lens, rack and pinion focusing funnel and inspection door, now with electric illuminant, together with an optical condenser, lens and one other lens, the lens cover impressed A. Coiffier Paris, 26.5cm 10.5in high.

[goamules]

And I found this: http://www.earlyphotography.co.uk/site/entry_L88.html

Coiffier Portrait Lens 1857 - 1868
A. Coiffier - London, England

And in the British Journal of Photography, 26 April 1867 (http://books.google.com/books?id=05wOAAAAQAAJ&ots=wng3wsob4y&vq=COIFFIER&dq=A.%20Coiffier%20lens&pg=PA202#v=onepage&q&f=false).

"A pair of stereoscopic portrait lenses by Coiffier...."

And opera glasses were listed in several 1862 catalogs, like this Official Catalogue of the Industrial Department (http://books.google.com/books?id=lahQAAAAcAAJ&dq=A.%20Coiffier%20lens&pg=PA196#v=onepage&q=A.%20Coiffier%20lens&f=false).

I know there was a Paris dealer of British items, and some French lenses were sold by English dealers. So it's still unclear where these Portrait lenses were made, or when. But I'm still saying early 1860s seems plausible.

[Steven Tribe]

Here is now more information about A. Coiffier's Petzval lenses here.

http://www.largeformatphotography.info/forum/showthread.php?144294-Makers-mini-engraving-on-a-French-(-)-Petzval