Victorian Cased Portable Desktop Telescope on Stand by Aitchison London

For sale, a late Victorian cased portable desktop telescope on stand by Aitchison of London.

This ingenious version of the portable telescope seems to be specific to Aitchison’s manufacture and is comprised of a two draw body with a one and a three quarter inch objective lens. It is 74cms extended and 40cms when closed and comes complete with it original lens cap. The first draw is engraved to Aitchison, London.

The tripod base is cleverly designed to incorporate the legs into the body of the stand when stored within the case and allows for economy of space. The drumstick like legs are accessed by unscrewing the base of the stand where they are contained in their own specific tube. Once removed the base is replaced on the stand and the legs are individually screwed into it. The hinged top and the telescope rest are also beautifully manufactured.

The stained pine case comes complete with its original baize lined fitted interior and additional sunshade lens. It has a brass carry handle and two hooks for closure.

This telescope is from the early period of Aitchison’s trading in London as following the opening of a regional branch in Leeds in 1905 his products included the title “London & Leeds”.

Aitchison’s firm which was founded in 1889 at 47 Fleet Street, its later merger in 1927 with Dollond, is always overshadowed by its more famous and historic counterpart, and its pre-merger period is therefore somewhat overlooked.

James Aitchison undertook his apprenticeship with an optician’s firm in High Holborn before setting up in business initially with Alexander Thomas Clarkson (of Broadhurst Clarkson fame). He is said to have been uncomfortable with the very basic methods that his previous employers used to examine and test patient’s eyes and in a time where glasses were becoming common place across all classes in Britain, he quickly carved himself a niche for supplying very good, high quality lenses at reasonable rates which appealed to the varying pocket sizes by provided them with gold, silver and steel frames for spectacles, lorgnettes, monocles and pince-nez.

Given his reasoning for leaving his previous employment, the subject of standards within the industry continued to be an issue close to Aitchison’s heart, the Worshipful Company of Spectacle Makers was, by then, purely a means of apprenticeship and for gaining practical skills in manufacture rather than for gaining an understanding of the science of optics. They showed little interest when in 1890, Charles Hyatt-Wolf proposed changes to the process which would include examination and certification and having received his re-buff, Wolf sought to organise a separate body to try to tackle the standards of practice. The journal “The Optician” was created in 1891 and in 1895 when Hyatt-Wolf created The British Optical Association (BOA), Aitchison was an enthusiastic founding member and supporter. By this time, he had dissolved his partnership with Clarkson (Gazette 1891) and opened two further branches at 6 Poultry (close to Robert Brettell Bates old premises) and at 428 The Strand. Little is known of Aitchison’s early partnership, Clarkson had owned his own company since 1873 which seems to have remained distinct throughout. As a result or as a precursor to the decision, Robert Henry Broadhurst joined Clarkson in 1892 and went on to form an equally famous partnership.

The Spectacle Maker’s Company were slow to respond to pressure but in 1898 they began an initial set of examinations which were regarded as unsatisfactory by the BOA and with the efforts to align their activities failing, the BOA brought out its own set of examinations later in the same year. Luckily for the students, the newly built College of Advanced Technology catered for both courses and The Spectacle Makers Company agreed to fund its tutors for the first two years.

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