W. Butcher & Son, Rapid Rectilinear

[Ron (Netherlands)]

One of my camera's is a whole plate National made by W. Butcher & Son. What I till recently didn't know is that Butcher also made lenses or had lenses made for their brand.
I recently got a very big heavy (at least compared to the other lenses in my small collection) lens with their trade name on it: its a 12 x 10 Rapid Rectilinear, with very nice glass and even a big flange (I just measured 26 tpi with a diameter of 2.930 inch). Btw this one is for WHS - but came without any. I guess the focuslength is about 24 1/2 inch (about 621mm).

Any info on (these) Butcher lenses?

[Steven Tribe]

......or had lenses made for their brand.




Correct!

[Ron (Netherlands)]

Thanks Steven :-)

[Chauncey Walden]

Is this the same Butcher as in Aldis-Butcher?

[Ron (Netherlands)]

Is this the same Butcher as in Aldis-Butcher?

The lens mentions "W. Butcher & Son, Blackheath"

From what I recently found on internet, William Frederick Butcher (1866 - 1936) started together with his father William Butcher Sr. (1840-1903) a small camera factory, and were pioneers in the wholesaling of photographic apparatus and materials amongst retail chemists. Initially the company had its address at Spencer Place, Blackheath.
1898 - 1902 W. Butcher & Son
1902 - 1913 W. Butcher & Sons
1913 - 1915 W. Butcher & Sons Ltd.
1915 - 1926 became Houghton-Butcher Manufacturing Co. Ltd.
1926 became Ensign Ltd., at Holborn

Didn't find anything about Aldis - Butcher

[Keith Fleming]

Are there typographical errors in the listed dates? The listed dates are not linear.

[Ron (Netherlands)]

Are there typographical errors in the listed dates? The listed dates are not linear.

yep, just corrected

[Steven Tribe]

Butcher was a less glamorous company in the UK. Active from about 1895 until 1925. Known as a buy-in specialist - especially from Germany until 1914!
Included in Channing /Dunn book (see below).

[Ron (Netherlands)]

Butcher was a less glamorous company in the UK. Active from about 1895 until 1925. Known as a buy-in specialist - especially from Germany until 1914!
Included in Channing /Dunn book (see below).

Thanks Steven....btw what is the meaning of EC (part of London?)

[Steven Tribe]

Yes, EC is (was, I believe) east central. I think, the E codes have been altered since I (fortunately) left the UK in 1971.

[Chauncey Walden]

This thread got me curious and I believe I have tracked my Aldis-Butcher 7 inch f/3.4 lens to a 1930ish (Houghton-Butcher) Ensign Special Reflex quarter plate camera. Having done that I guess I am going to have to mount the lens on my 3 1/4x 4 1/4 Graflex and give it a try. So, by then Aldis were supplying lenses to what the Butchers had become.

[Steven Tribe]

A very comprehensive history of Butcher is available on the excellent early photography website (and Aldis, too).


http://www.earlyphotography.co.uk/site/companies.html#B