[W&B] Wood and brass - test for Michael

Sat Jan 19 02:44:11 EST 2008

Difficult to say - I think he's more likely to have been assembling
cameras or buying them in and re-badging. Just from the census
descriptions (which I know are subjective) it seems who had moved away
from being an manufacturing optician/instrument maker by 1881. The
camera is probably after this dates. As I am sure you both know there
were several companies supplying camera brass work. 

That said, it's speculation 130  years on... 

-----Original Message-----
From: woodandbrass-bounces at kjsl.com
[mailto:woodandbrass-bounces at kjsl.com] On Behalf Of Marcel Safier
Sent: 15 January 2008 19:20
To: 'Collectors of 19th Century Cameras &amp;Photographica'
Subject: RE: [W&B] Wood and brass - test for Michael

Milan and Michael

Firstly Milan, I don't usually propagate shameless plugs for eBay
cameras I intend bidding on but you have flushed me out with your
enquiry! I am working on a database of British camera manufacturers in
the background and can provide the following:

William Heath was listed in the censuses thus.

1851 William and Thomas C. Heath, 46 Fore St, Stole Damerel, Devon
Opticians and Nautical Instrument Makers
1861 William Heath, 1 Clarence Baths, Devonport Master Optician
1871 William Heath, Buckland Monachorum, Devon Mathematical Instrument
Maker & Photographer
1881 William Heath, Portland Square, Plymouth Optician and Photographer.

1891 William Heath, Furzecroft, Tavistock Optician and Photographer (his
daughter Elizabeth is listed as masseuse and nurse electrician - please
count me in!)
1901 William Heath, Howard Heath licensee of the Plough Hotel, Weston
Super Mare (he was listed in 1891 as a Photographer)

William Heath b. 4 Sep 1823, bap. 12 Oct 1823, Granby Or Mount Street
Chapel-Independent, Devonport, Devon son of William Heath and Alice
Cornish
William Heath died Tavistock, Devon 1896

I would like to mention the resource that might help others researching
British instrument makers that you appear to have quoted, namely the
Webster database of signed scientific instruments
http://historydb.adlerplanetarium.org/signatures/ 

We note it lists William Heath and Thomas Cornish; barometer and
instrument makers, 46 Fore Street, Devonport (1850-52). I can't find a
Thomas Cornish in the 1851 census. I believe this is an error and indeed
refers to Thomas Cornish Heath b. 18 Feb 1826, baptized: 16 Apr 1826,
Granby Or Mount Street Chapel-Independent, Devonport, Devon son of
William Heath and Alice Cornish. I will be notifying the database
maintainers of this correction.

William is listed thus as a photographer (thank you to Sandy Barrie for
this):

William Heath, 5 George St, Plymouth 1866
Heath and Bullingham, 24 George St, Plymouth 1877-1892
Heath & Co, 24 George St, Plymouth 1893-1902
Heath and Stoneman, 24 George St, Plymouth 1902-1926

Since William died in 1896 and Howard went to Weston and ran a pub I
wonder who the Heath was in the photography business after William's
death? He had no other sons I am aware of unless it was one of his
daughters. His widow and daughters Elizabeth and Alice moved to Torquay.
Maybe they just traded using Heath's his name. 

I would indeed consider William Heath likely to have been a camera
manufacturer given his long history as an optical manufacture and his
simultaneous occupation in photography. What do you think Michael?

Cheers!

Marcel
--
Marcel Safier (Photographic Historian)
PO Box 239
Holland Park 4121
Queensland Australia
http://members.ozemail.com.au/~msafier/index.html 

-----Original Message-----
From: woodandbrass-bounces at kjsl.com
[mailto:woodandbrass-bounces at kjsl.com] On Behalf Of Milan Zahorcak
Sent: 15 January 2008 16:05
To: 'Collectors of 19th Century Cameras &amp;Photographica'
Subject: RE: [W&B] Wood and brass - test for Michael

Hmmm . . . good point about Vernon.
My guy is probably William Heath.  But Dubya . . . W as you folks say,
was also involved in photography.
W. Heath shows up at 24 George Street, Plymouth, and I have found many
photographic references for Heath & Bullingham, also at 24 George
Street, Plymouth.

And here is a satellite view of 24 George Street . . .

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q
<http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&time=&date=&ttype=&q=24+
George+Street,+Plymouth,+England&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=45.822921,7
4.707031&ie=UTF8&ll=50.369199,-4.173015&spn=0.002265,0.00456&t=h&z=18&om
=1>
&hl=en&geocode=&time=&date=&ttype=&q=24+George+Street,+Plymouth,+England
&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=45.822921,74.707031&ie=UTF8&ll=50.369199,-4
.173015&spn=0.002265,0.00456&t=h&z=18&om=1

As far as hardware goes, both Christies and Sotheby's have auctioned
various W. Heath instruments in the past, see below.

And Devonport is also mentioned on occasion; and is near Plymouth, I
believe.

Oh, well . . . I'm still going to claim that the camera is rare and
historically significant - at least for my wallet.

Thanks,

mz

HEATH, WILLIAM, 24 George Street, Plymouth, England, c.1850, MIM PHIM
SIM Stick Barometer = Sotheby's 7/28/72; Theodolite = Ineichen 10/20/75;
Microscope - Christie 11/22/78.    

HEATH, THOMAS C. England, c.1850, OIM PHIM Telescope, eight draw =
DeLuca 8/1/87.  Optician; barometer maker; watchmaker; the telescope was
signed "Heath, 24 George St. Plymouth;"

HEATH, WILLIAM.  England, fl.1850-57, MIM OIM PHIM Theodolites = P.C.
(1968), Christie 4/3/85; Stadiometers = OXF, Christie 7/12/67.  often
signed "W. Heath"; worked with Thomas Cornish in 1850; "Optician."  46
Fore Street (1850-52); 116 Fore Street (1857); both in Devonport. 

HEATH, England, c.1850, MIM OIM PHIM Binocular Microscope = D.(1972);
Rule, ivory, = Sotheby's 10/15/73; Stick Barometer = X; Telescope =
Frank Coll.  "Optician"; probably Thomas C. Heath or William Heath,
Plymouth. 

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