[LRflex] Re: OT Researching French Antique Binoculars?
- From: Douglas Sharp <douglas.sharp@xxxxxx>
- To: leicareflex@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Fri, 28 May 2010 01:17:37 +0200
Hi Richard,
Just a quick browse for Chevaliers - I'm beginning to wish I hadn't - it
gets rather complex towards the end
a German guy on ebay Austria has precisely the same problem as you.
Google on *Chevalier Fernstecher* to see a pair on ebay.
Here's a tiny piece of information from a long article on the history of
telescopes and binoculars, at least we now have his full name and dates,
it seems that your binoculars could be even earlier than you thought:
The French optician Jean Gabriel Augustin Chevalier (1778 - 1848) marketed in
1807 dutch binoculars with achromatic objectives, but without having much
success.
The rest of it is here:
http://www.europa.com/~telscope/trschmtz.txt
If it is the same man (which I doubt), he also appears to have been a
designer and maker of so-called dioptric microscopes - whatever they are.
He's also mentioned as the author of a work about the use of camera
obscurae here, though this may very probably one of a number of a
different Chevaliers:
*
http://tinyurl.com/2wrhbkb*
It's on page ix of the introduction - my French is not so good anymore,
something about "describing the use of many apparatus of this type, and
modifications to them...."
also other mentions on page c and xxxi that seem to point to a whole
family of Chevaliers not related to Jean Gabriel Augustin.
I also found something about a Charles-Chevalier platinum medal awarded
to Josef Petzval (of Voigtländer fame) in France, whether this has
anything to do with the matter, I don't know (yet)
More info and a picture here: http://www.pbase.com/image/91045319
And here, referring to the year 1796:
Jean Gabriel Augustin Chevalier was optician to the French King as well
as an engineer. He was also a manufacturer of scientific instruments
including optical pieces. Chevalier sold Phantasmagoria magic lanterns
including a machine that could mimic the sounds of thunderstorms.
Another reference, maybe spelled wrongly:
Jean Gabriel Augustin Chevallier, 1778-1848, worked 1796--, Pont Neuf #15,
Paris, optician, instrument maker, inventor.
And this complicates matters even more:
CHEVALIER
Established circa 1765 by Louis Vincent Chevalier (dates? 1734 - 1804, or
1743 - 1800), at 31 quai de l'Horloge; made& sold mirrors, lenses,
telescopes. 3 sons were opticians, Louis,& Nicolas-Marie had short
careers; Jacques Louis Vincent (1771-1841), worked for father, left for
army, returned in 1803-4 to start own manufacturing business. Made optics
for telegraph operator telescopes.
Vincent's son, Charles Louis Chevalier, 1804 - 1859, with father improved
the camera obscura with a lens / prism, very successful. Vincent retained
overly tight control, circa 1832 Charles left to form own business,
reunited businesses 1841. Greatest success with microscopes, including
reflecting, horizontal, inverted, and polarizing microscopes. Improved
achromatic microscope, using several doublets in line. Produced a few
jewel lenses. Important in early photography, experimented& improved
lenses.
Charles' son& successor Louis Marie Arthur Chevalier 1830 -1874, Palais
Royal 158. In 1863, published "L'Art de l'opticien et ses rapports avec la
construction et l'application des lunettes". Improved medical equipment,&
production methods. Many other texts written by family members.
After Arthur, company declined, catalog 1885, probably closed by 1889.
1860s, catalogs included hundreds of instruments, 15 employees at factory&
60 remote employees.
Telescope at Craigdarroch Castle, Victora, B.C., signed: "No. 1 Rue de la
Bourse, Paris, A. Chevallier, A. Fontana, Succr."
None of whom are the above mentioned Jean Gabriel Augustin, and one of
them is quite likely to be the Chevalier mentioned in the reference book
quotes.
It's almost 1.30 in the morning here - so I'm stopping this before I get
really hooked :-)
Cheers
Douglas
On 27.05.2010 23:23, Richard Ward wrote:
> Hello Group,
> I'm having a terrible time Googling Up specific info on a pair of Old
> French Binoculars I came across at a 'garage sale' years ago. They are fairly
> low powered and have black enamel on the 'objective'? barrels, eye pieces,
> and the focus mechanism tube, with 'turned'? brass cones connecting the
> objective lens area to the eye piece area. (Photographs to come) They're
> hand engraved at the eye pieces "Chevalier" and "Paris" which of course turns
> out to be a famous optics maker with a long history and mucho stuff listed
> for sale all over ebay and the web. The challenge is finding specific
> historical references and resources to date my specific pair! :-)
> I suspect my example might be fairly early (middle 1800's) because the
> 'Chevalier' markings were hand engraved which implies to me early/low volume
> industrial output AND the later 1900ish examples I saw on the net had
> eyepieces with the names molded or stamped into the metal. This is
> supposition on my part since I can't locate reference sources.
> Can anyone help me find a reference or research source for Chevalier Opticen
> which was located in Paris?
>
> BTW: they likely aren't of great value - the enamel is fairly worn and the
> brass needs cleaning. The optics are surpisingly nice and as a binocular
> aren't to bad at all, being low powered likely helps on that front.
>
> I'm just curious.
>
> Richard in Michigan
>
> ________________________________
>
>
> "There is a joy in taking photographs that will always be there, it is the
> joy of looking, of capturing that fraction of a second, it is the
> photographic shot, the intuitive shot..." (Henri Cartier-Bresson)
> ________________________________
>
>
> â??No man hath given his child anything better than good manners.â??
> - Prophet Muhammad (570-632)
> ________________________________
>
>
>
>
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