Item ST 32698 Camera - George Houghton & Sons Ltd, 'Ensign Simplex Auto', England, circa 1905

Summary

Ensign Simplex Auto folding plate camera manufactured by George Houghton & Sons Ltd., England, circa 1905.

The British company Houghton or Houghtons and its successors Houghton-Butcher, Barnet Ensign, Barnet Ensign Ross and Ross-Ensign had its origins in 1834 when George Houghton joined Antoine Claudet to manage a glass warehouse in London, under the name Claudet & Houghton. By 1910, the company under the name, George Houghton & Sons, had become the largest camera manufacturing company in Britain.

Physical Description

Folding camera consisting of a black leather-covered wooden body and black leather bellows. The front of the camera forms a sliding bed for the lens plate when open.