Aitchison's Patent Pocket Binocular Field Glasses

Aitchison's Patent Pocket Binocular Field Glasses, much sought after by collectors, are of a novel folding design, with each tube consisting of an aluminium spiral which folds concertina-style. As the frame folds closed, the barrels close into a puck-shape within the frame. (Note: Please click on the images to enlarge them).

Aitchison & Co. was founded by James Aitchison (1860-1911), who served an apprenticeship with a firm of opticians in High Holborn, London, England.

He established his business at 47 Fleet Street, London, as a practicing optician in 1889. He began to work in partnership with Alexander Thomas Clarkson, trading as Aitchison & Co., but the partnership was terminated in 1891, following which James Aitchison continued the business under the same name.

London addresses that appear on Aitchison's advertisements are: 47 Fleet Street (from 1889); 42 Bishopsgate Street (from 1889); 6 Poultry, Cheapside (from 1893); 428 Strand (from 1895); 167 & 168 Fleet Street; 281 Oxford Street; 12 Cheapside. 

In 1908 they merged with Wray Optical Works Ltd., and in 1927 they acquired Dollond & Co., and began to trade under the name Dollond & Aitchison. They continued in business until 2009 when they merged with the high-street chain Boots, and the name Dollond & Aitchison ceased to be used.

On January 20^th 1891, the same year the partnership with Alexander Clarkson was terminated, James Aitchison was awarded UK patent no. 1016 for the folding Field glasses shown here, and on July 4^th 1893 he was awarded US patent 500,835, jointly with Thomas Bradley.

The binoculars were made from aluminium, and came in two different specifications:  

• No. 1. Achromatic Lenses (a first class Race Glass), with 4x magnification, which sold for £3 3s (about £325 in today's money), and 
• No. 2. Achromatic, 12 Lenses (Superior Quality, Higher Power), with 6x magnification, which sold for £5 5s (about £540 in today's money). 

 

The Patent Pocket Binocular Field Glasses were supplied with a soft leather purse-case or, for 5s extra, a hard leather sling-case, as shown in the headline photo.

These binoculars were issued to British officers during the second Boer War (1899-1902). They were also exported to, among other countries, the USA. 

Captain Craig of the War Depatment in Washington, USA, wrote (according to an Aitchison advertisement): I am directed by Chief Signal Officer of U.S. Army that Aitchison's Patent Pocket Binoculars are found to be extremely convenient and portable, and of good service.

The binoculars pictured in this article are of type No. 2. with 6x magnification. In use, because of the shape of the eyepiece lens-plate, the eyepieces are not particularly convenient to bring close to the eye (although that may simply be because I have a big nose). Also, due to the nature of the construction, the binoculars are prone to collimation errors, giving rise to double image.

They are marked on the inside of the eyepiece lens-plate with serial number 6223, and on both lens end-plates they are marked 5/8.

These Patent Pocket Binoculars were widely advertised. Some scans of original advertisements follow:

Advertisement in The Graphic, September 1^st 1894.

Advertisement in The Graphic, November 17^th 1894.

Advertisement in The Graphic, December 1^st 1894.

For more information about Aitchison & Co., Alexander Thomas Clarkson, Wray Optical Works Ltd., Dollond & Co., Dollond & Aitchison, binoculars, and many more topics, refer to Brass & Glass: Optial Instruments and Their Makers by Tony Benson.

All images © Copyright Tony Benson 2024

Second Edition - Brass and Glass: Optical Instruments and Their Makers

The second edition of Brass and Glass: Optical Instruments and Their Makers is now available. It is an encyclopaedia of optical instruments, and the individuals and companies, from the earliest to the end of the 20th century, who have made them. Considerably updated, corrected, and expanded on the first edition, it contains over 3000 alphabetical entries, including:

Optical instrument makers and brands Telescopes Binoculars Microscopes Cameras Navigation instruments

Scientific instruments Surveying instruments Military optical ordnance Laboratory & educational instruments Medical instruments Optical terminology

There are appendices containing information on selected related subjects such as optical glass and eyepiece designs.

The inspiration for the book came from my interests in stargazing, photography, microscopy and bird-watching. I began to take an interest in classic and vintage telescopes, microscopes, binoculars and cameras, as well as other optical instruments. I found the lack of reference material frustrating - I would see an interesting looking vintage telescope at auction, but to find out more about the maker I would have to buy extraordinarily expensive reference books, many of which are out of print. Further, the information I sought was frequently scattered around multiple sources, and time-consuming to collate. I wanted an affordable, simple, encyclopaedic reference in which I could find the name of the maker or optical instrument and a concise, but informative article about them. This book is my attempt to remedy that gap in the literature.

Since the invention of the telescope and the microscope in the early seventeenth cetury there have been countless makers of optical instruments. It would be impossible to include an entry for every one of them. However, it is intended that makers of note should be included, as well as most of the makers the reader might encounter when perusing an auction or boot fair.

A table of contents for the first edition may be found here.