Archive of Louis Gandolfi and Sons Ltd
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TitleArchive of Louis Gandolfi and Sons Ltd
ReferenceGAN
CreatorLouis Gandolfi and Sons Ltd
In 1885 Louis Gandolfi set up a cameramaking business, initially over a tobacconist's shop in Kensington Place, Westminster, and later at premises in Old Kent Road. In 1913 the business was transferred to Peckham Rye and it was later moved to a site on Borland Road, Peckham, in 1928.
The early camera designs of Louis Gandolfi were comparatively simple. The camera were made from a small number of parts and could be put together and sold cheaply. As the business began to prosper a much wider range of equipment was offered. The most successful Gandolfi designs were based on traditional dry-plate apparatus and it was with these cameras that he began to build his business.
Models of superior and improved quality led to a thriving trade with civil and military authorities, particularly in India and Burma. The outbreak of war in 1914 destroyed much of Gandolfi's market but he was able to maintain production with the aid of a Royal Naval Air Service order for cameras. After the war the Gandolfis (Louis Gandolfi's sons Frederick, Arthur and Thomas were beginning to become involved with the business) had to come to terms with the new precision miniature cameras which were mass produced in Germany. The business became more dependent on traditionally made large format cameras for the technical and professional photographer.
By 1930 the Gandolfis were over the worst of the 1920s recessions. The eldest son, Tom (born 1890), having survived service in the Great War, devoted himself to cabinetmaking, whilst the middle son, Fred (born 1904), who could do most things, was showing business ability. 'Young' Arthur, having left the business during the 1920s to learn clerical work, returned to fill the job of assembly and finishing. Louis was happy that his three sons could continue the family concern in his tradition and passed the family business onto the three sons after his death in 1932.
None of the Gandolfi brothers was called up in the Second World War. Tom was too old and Fred and Arthur were in a reserved occupation supplying portrait cameras and tripods to the Admiralty, Air Ministry and War Department. Ironically, the brothers were offered a government contract to supply 1,000 cameras, which they soon realised they could not fulfil. The contract went to a rival maker, Watson, who used outworkers. The Gandolfis spent much of the war repairing the results.
Post-war the market for prison 'mugshots' revived a 1935 product. No fewer than 38 prisons and police authorities in the UK alone were customers. There was also an export business to the colonies.
Always a supplier to educational and scientific bodies, the 5 x 4 in format 'Precision' camera was the cheapest of its kind, with the result that the burgeoning photographic colleges bought them by the dozen. This gave rise to a brand loyalty amongst the ex-students, who created a demand unknown before. Rather as with the Morgan sports car, waiting-lists grew from months to years in the early 1970s, which was a situation that the Gandolfis never exploited. Their cameras were fetching a premium on the open market, with the result that dealers' orders were no longer accepted and private customers were subject to some searching questions.
Tom Gandolfi died in 1965, adding a further burden to Arthur and Fred. It was not until 1976, when Tom's son Tom junior - after taking early retirement from engineering - was persuaded into the firm, that delivery times began to improve.
By 1980, it was obvious to Arthur and Fred that they could not go on much longer. They had achieved an ambition of 100 years as a family of camera-makers, wanted to reach 100 years of the Gandolfi company, but realised that outside help was necessary.
With a too-full order-book, there were many would-be purchasers for the company. Fred and Arthur were not prepared to let the family name go easily. A compromise was made with Brian Gould and his partner Sir Kenneth Corfield, who purchased the company in 1982, supplied the last apprentice, and every Gandolfi from then on carried a satisfaction certificate signed by Fred. The brothers saw their 100 years' ambition achieved, and were awarded honorary life memberships of the Royal Photographic Society and the British Institute of Professional Photographers, in recognition of their services to photography.
The early camera designs of Louis Gandolfi were comparatively simple. The camera were made from a small number of parts and could be put together and sold cheaply. As the business began to prosper a much wider range of equipment was offered. The most successful Gandolfi designs were based on traditional dry-plate apparatus and it was with these cameras that he began to build his business.
Models of superior and improved quality led to a thriving trade with civil and military authorities, particularly in India and Burma. The outbreak of war in 1914 destroyed much of Gandolfi's market but he was able to maintain production with the aid of a Royal Naval Air Service order for cameras. After the war the Gandolfis (Louis Gandolfi's sons Frederick, Arthur and Thomas were beginning to become involved with the business) had to come to terms with the new precision miniature cameras which were mass produced in Germany. The business became more dependent on traditionally made large format cameras for the technical and professional photographer.
By 1930 the Gandolfis were over the worst of the 1920s recessions. The eldest son, Tom (born 1890), having survived service in the Great War, devoted himself to cabinetmaking, whilst the middle son, Fred (born 1904), who could do most things, was showing business ability. 'Young' Arthur, having left the business during the 1920s to learn clerical work, returned to fill the job of assembly and finishing. Louis was happy that his three sons could continue the family concern in his tradition and passed the family business onto the three sons after his death in 1932.
None of the Gandolfi brothers was called up in the Second World War. Tom was too old and Fred and Arthur were in a reserved occupation supplying portrait cameras and tripods to the Admiralty, Air Ministry and War Department. Ironically, the brothers were offered a government contract to supply 1,000 cameras, which they soon realised they could not fulfil. The contract went to a rival maker, Watson, who used outworkers. The Gandolfis spent much of the war repairing the results.
Post-war the market for prison 'mugshots' revived a 1935 product. No fewer than 38 prisons and police authorities in the UK alone were customers. There was also an export business to the colonies.
Always a supplier to educational and scientific bodies, the 5 x 4 in format 'Precision' camera was the cheapest of its kind, with the result that the burgeoning photographic colleges bought them by the dozen. This gave rise to a brand loyalty amongst the ex-students, who created a demand unknown before. Rather as with the Morgan sports car, waiting-lists grew from months to years in the early 1970s, which was a situation that the Gandolfis never exploited. Their cameras were fetching a premium on the open market, with the result that dealers' orders were no longer accepted and private customers were subject to some searching questions.
Tom Gandolfi died in 1965, adding a further burden to Arthur and Fred. It was not until 1976, when Tom's son Tom junior - after taking early retirement from engineering - was persuaded into the firm, that delivery times began to improve.
By 1980, it was obvious to Arthur and Fred that they could not go on much longer. They had achieved an ambition of 100 years as a family of camera-makers, wanted to reach 100 years of the Gandolfi company, but realised that outside help was necessary.
With a too-full order-book, there were many would-be purchasers for the company. Fred and Arthur were not prepared to let the family name go easily. A compromise was made with Brian Gould and his partner Sir Kenneth Corfield, who purchased the company in 1982, supplied the last apprentice, and every Gandolfi from then on carried a satisfaction certificate signed by Fred. The brothers saw their 100 years' ambition achieved, and were awarded honorary life memberships of the Royal Photographic Society and the British Institute of Professional Photographers, in recognition of their services to photography.
Date
1930-2000
Scope and ContentThis collection relates to the family camera-making business Louis Gandolfi and Sons Ltd and Fred Gandolfi's relationship with the Science Museum around the time of an exhibition commemorating 100 years of the Gandolfi business.
The business records in the collection including financial ledgers, sales books, petty cash documentation and correspondence. There are also photographs of the Gandolfi family, their workshop and cameras. The collection also includes publications and reports, and some reproduced adverts for Gandolfi cameras. There are also some original stamps for the business.
The second large part of the collection relates to the relationship between Fred Gandolfi and the Science Museum, who hosted an exhibition celebrating a centenary of Gandolfi cameras in 1980. This part of the collection includes research, exhibition plans, correspondence between the two and reproduction prints of photographs.
The business records in the collection including financial ledgers, sales books, petty cash documentation and correspondence. There are also photographs of the Gandolfi family, their workshop and cameras. The collection also includes publications and reports, and some reproduced adverts for Gandolfi cameras. There are also some original stamps for the business.
The second large part of the collection relates to the relationship between Fred Gandolfi and the Science Museum, who hosted an exhibition celebrating a centenary of Gandolfi cameras in 1980. This part of the collection includes research, exhibition plans, correspondence between the two and reproduction prints of photographs.
ExtentTwo bankers boxes, three clamshell boxes and two framed photographs
Physical descriptionThe condition of this collection is fair. The ledgers are more fragile and in some cases show signs of red rot. There are also some photographic materials, which are mainly prints but also include a few negatives, all of which are in good condition.
LanguageEnglish
Archival historyThis collection was acquired by the National Media Museum in 1999.
Levelfonds
Repository nameNational Science and Media Museum, Bradford
Associated people and organisationsGandolfi, Arthur Ernest
Gandolfi, Frederick Louis
Gandolfi, Louis
Gandolfi, Thomas
Arthur Gandolfi, camera-maker with Louis Gandolfi and Sons Ltd, was born in London on 4th July 1906.
As a young man, he joined his father's (Louis') family camera-making business with his two brothers (Frederick and Thomas) and two of his three sisters. Over the years, father, mother and five of their six children worked in the business. The work ethic was a necessity in their lives, which ultimately ensured their survival as England's oldest camera manufacturer, and to later fame but no fortune for Arthur and his brother Fred.
By 1930 the Gandolfis were over the worst of the 1920s recessions. The eldest son, Tom (born 1890), having survived service in the Great War, devoted himself to cabinetmaking, whilst the middle son, Fred (born 1904), who could do most things, was showing business ability. 'Young' Arthur, having left the business during the 1920s to learn clerical work, returned to fill the job of assembly and finishing. Louis was happy that his three sons could continue the family concern in his tradition and passed the family business onto the three sons after his death in 1932.
None of the Gandolfi brothers was called up in the Second World War. Tom was too old and Fred and Arthur were in a reserved occupation supplying portrait cameras and tripods to the Admiralty, Air Ministry and War Department. Ironically, the brothers were offered a government contract to supply 1,000 cameras, which they soon realised they could not fulfil. The contract went to a rival maker, Watson, who used outworkers. The Gandolfis spent much of the war repairing the results.
Post-war the market for prison 'mugshots' revived a 1935 product. No fewer than 38 prisons and police authorities in the UK alone were customers. There was also an export business to the colonies.
Always a supplier to educational and scientific bodies, the 5 x 4 in format 'Precision' camera was the cheapest of its kind, with the result that the burgeoning photographic colleges bought them by the dozen. This gave rise to a brand loyalty amongst the ex-students, who created a demand unknown before. Rather as with the Morgan sports car, waiting-lists grew from months to years in the early 1970s, which was a situation that the Gandolfis never exploited. Their cameras were fetching a premium on the open market, with the result that dealers' orders were no longer accepted and private customers were subject to some searching questions.
Tom Gandolfi died in 1965, adding a further burden to Arthur and Fred. It was not until 1976, when Tom's son Tom junior - after taking early retirement from engineering - was persuaded into the firm, that delivery times began to improve.
By 1980, it was obvious to Arthur and Fred that they could not go on much longer. They had achieved an ambition of 100 years as a family of camera-makers, wanted to reach 100 years of the Gandolfi company, but realised that outside help was necessary.
With a too-full order-book, there were many would-be purchasers for the company. Fred and Arthur were not prepared to let the family name go easily. A compromise was made with Brian Gould and his partner Sir Kenneth Corfield, who purchased the company in 1982, supplied the last apprentice, and every Gandolfi from then on carried a satisfaction certificate signed by Fred. The brothers saw their 100 years' ambition achieved, and were awarded honorary life memberships of the Royal Photographic Society and the British Institute of Professional Photographers, in recognition of their services to photography.
Sadly, the two brothers both became very ill at the same time. The photographer Ken Griffiths - who had known them for 20 years - found that both were in hospital and immediately set up an appeal. The result was that Griffiths and his then PA, Val Simmonds, organised Arthur and Fred back into their home of over 50 years, with resident professional nursing care. Fred died in his own home in 1990, and Arthur likewise, on 22 January 1993.
As a young man, he joined his father's (Louis') family camera-making business with his two brothers (Frederick and Thomas) and two of his three sisters. Over the years, father, mother and five of their six children worked in the business. The work ethic was a necessity in their lives, which ultimately ensured their survival as England's oldest camera manufacturer, and to later fame but no fortune for Arthur and his brother Fred.
By 1930 the Gandolfis were over the worst of the 1920s recessions. The eldest son, Tom (born 1890), having survived service in the Great War, devoted himself to cabinetmaking, whilst the middle son, Fred (born 1904), who could do most things, was showing business ability. 'Young' Arthur, having left the business during the 1920s to learn clerical work, returned to fill the job of assembly and finishing. Louis was happy that his three sons could continue the family concern in his tradition and passed the family business onto the three sons after his death in 1932.
None of the Gandolfi brothers was called up in the Second World War. Tom was too old and Fred and Arthur were in a reserved occupation supplying portrait cameras and tripods to the Admiralty, Air Ministry and War Department. Ironically, the brothers were offered a government contract to supply 1,000 cameras, which they soon realised they could not fulfil. The contract went to a rival maker, Watson, who used outworkers. The Gandolfis spent much of the war repairing the results.
Post-war the market for prison 'mugshots' revived a 1935 product. No fewer than 38 prisons and police authorities in the UK alone were customers. There was also an export business to the colonies.
Always a supplier to educational and scientific bodies, the 5 x 4 in format 'Precision' camera was the cheapest of its kind, with the result that the burgeoning photographic colleges bought them by the dozen. This gave rise to a brand loyalty amongst the ex-students, who created a demand unknown before. Rather as with the Morgan sports car, waiting-lists grew from months to years in the early 1970s, which was a situation that the Gandolfis never exploited. Their cameras were fetching a premium on the open market, with the result that dealers' orders were no longer accepted and private customers were subject to some searching questions.
Tom Gandolfi died in 1965, adding a further burden to Arthur and Fred. It was not until 1976, when Tom's son Tom junior - after taking early retirement from engineering - was persuaded into the firm, that delivery times began to improve.
By 1980, it was obvious to Arthur and Fred that they could not go on much longer. They had achieved an ambition of 100 years as a family of camera-makers, wanted to reach 100 years of the Gandolfi company, but realised that outside help was necessary.
With a too-full order-book, there were many would-be purchasers for the company. Fred and Arthur were not prepared to let the family name go easily. A compromise was made with Brian Gould and his partner Sir Kenneth Corfield, who purchased the company in 1982, supplied the last apprentice, and every Gandolfi from then on carried a satisfaction certificate signed by Fred. The brothers saw their 100 years' ambition achieved, and were awarded honorary life memberships of the Royal Photographic Society and the British Institute of Professional Photographers, in recognition of their services to photography.
Sadly, the two brothers both became very ill at the same time. The photographer Ken Griffiths - who had known them for 20 years - found that both were in hospital and immediately set up an appeal. The result was that Griffiths and his then PA, Val Simmonds, organised Arthur and Fred back into their home of over 50 years, with resident professional nursing care. Fred died in his own home in 1990, and Arthur likewise, on 22 January 1993.
Gandolfi, Frederick Louis
Frederick Gandolfi, camera-maker with Louis Gandolfi and Sons Ltd, was born in London in 1904.
As a young man, he joined his father's (Louis') family camera-making business with his two brothers Arthur and Thomas) and two of his three sisters. Over the years, father, mother and five of their six children worked in the business. The work ethic was a necessity in their lives, which ultimately ensured their survival as England's oldest camera manufacturer, and to later fame but no fortune for Fred and his brother Arthur
By 1930 the Gandolfis were over the worst of the 1920s recessions. The eldest son, Tom (born 1890), having survived service in the Great War, devoted himself to cabinetmaking, whilst the middle son, Fred (born 1904), who could do most things, was showing business ability. 'Young' Arthur, having left the business during the 1920s to learn clerical work, returned to fill the job of assembly and finishing. Louis was happy that his three sons could continue the family concern in his tradition and passed the family business onto the three sons after his death in 1932.
None of the Gandolfi brothers was called up in the Second World War. Tom was too old and Fred and Arthur were in a reserved occupation supplying portrait cameras and tripods to the Admiralty, Air Ministry and War Department. Ironically, the brothers were offered a government contract to supply 1,000 cameras, which they soon realised they could not fulfil. The contract went to a rival maker, Watson, who used outworkers. The Gandolfis spent much of the war repairing the results.
Post-war the market for prison 'mugshots' revived a 1935 product. No fewer than 38 prisons and police authorities in the UK alone were customers. There was also an export business to the colonies.
Always a supplier to educational and scientific bodies, the 5 x 4 in format 'Precision' camera was the cheapest of its kind, with the result that the burgeoning photographic colleges bought them by the dozen. This gave rise to a brand loyalty amongst the ex-students, who created a demand unknown before. Rather as with the Morgan sports car, waiting-lists grew from months to years in the early 1970s, which was a situation that the Gandolfis never exploited. Their cameras were fetching a premium on the open market, with the result that dealers' orders were no longer accepted and private customers were subject to some searching questions.
Tom Gandolfi died in 1965, adding a further burden to Arthur and Fred. It was not until 1976, when Tom's son Tom junior - after taking early retirement from engineering - was persuaded into the firm, that delivery times began to improve.
By 1980, it was obvious to Arthur and Fred that they could not go on much longer. They had achieved an ambition of 100 years as a family of camera-makers, wanted to reach 100 years of the Gandolfi company, but realised that outside help was necessary.
With a too-full order-book, there were many would-be purchasers for the company. Fred and Arthur were not prepared to let the family name go easily. A compromise was made with Brian Gould and his partner Sir Kenneth Corfield, who purchased the company in 1982, supplied the last apprentice, and every Gandolfi from then on carried a satisfaction certificate signed by Fred. The brothers saw their 100 years' ambition achieved, and were awarded honorary life memberships of the Royal Photographic Society and the British Institute of Professional Photographers, in recognition of their services to photography.
Sadly, the two brothers both became very ill at the same time. The photographer Ken Griffiths - who had known them for 20 years - found that both were in hospital and immediately set up an appeal. The result was that Griffiths and his then PA, Val Simmonds, organised Arthur and Fred back into their home of over 50 years, with resident professional nursing care. Fred died in his own home in 1990, and Arthur likewise, on 22 January 1993.
As a young man, he joined his father's (Louis') family camera-making business with his two brothers Arthur and Thomas) and two of his three sisters. Over the years, father, mother and five of their six children worked in the business. The work ethic was a necessity in their lives, which ultimately ensured their survival as England's oldest camera manufacturer, and to later fame but no fortune for Fred and his brother Arthur
By 1930 the Gandolfis were over the worst of the 1920s recessions. The eldest son, Tom (born 1890), having survived service in the Great War, devoted himself to cabinetmaking, whilst the middle son, Fred (born 1904), who could do most things, was showing business ability. 'Young' Arthur, having left the business during the 1920s to learn clerical work, returned to fill the job of assembly and finishing. Louis was happy that his three sons could continue the family concern in his tradition and passed the family business onto the three sons after his death in 1932.
None of the Gandolfi brothers was called up in the Second World War. Tom was too old and Fred and Arthur were in a reserved occupation supplying portrait cameras and tripods to the Admiralty, Air Ministry and War Department. Ironically, the brothers were offered a government contract to supply 1,000 cameras, which they soon realised they could not fulfil. The contract went to a rival maker, Watson, who used outworkers. The Gandolfis spent much of the war repairing the results.
Post-war the market for prison 'mugshots' revived a 1935 product. No fewer than 38 prisons and police authorities in the UK alone were customers. There was also an export business to the colonies.
Always a supplier to educational and scientific bodies, the 5 x 4 in format 'Precision' camera was the cheapest of its kind, with the result that the burgeoning photographic colleges bought them by the dozen. This gave rise to a brand loyalty amongst the ex-students, who created a demand unknown before. Rather as with the Morgan sports car, waiting-lists grew from months to years in the early 1970s, which was a situation that the Gandolfis never exploited. Their cameras were fetching a premium on the open market, with the result that dealers' orders were no longer accepted and private customers were subject to some searching questions.
Tom Gandolfi died in 1965, adding a further burden to Arthur and Fred. It was not until 1976, when Tom's son Tom junior - after taking early retirement from engineering - was persuaded into the firm, that delivery times began to improve.
By 1980, it was obvious to Arthur and Fred that they could not go on much longer. They had achieved an ambition of 100 years as a family of camera-makers, wanted to reach 100 years of the Gandolfi company, but realised that outside help was necessary.
With a too-full order-book, there were many would-be purchasers for the company. Fred and Arthur were not prepared to let the family name go easily. A compromise was made with Brian Gould and his partner Sir Kenneth Corfield, who purchased the company in 1982, supplied the last apprentice, and every Gandolfi from then on carried a satisfaction certificate signed by Fred. The brothers saw their 100 years' ambition achieved, and were awarded honorary life memberships of the Royal Photographic Society and the British Institute of Professional Photographers, in recognition of their services to photography.
Sadly, the two brothers both became very ill at the same time. The photographer Ken Griffiths - who had known them for 20 years - found that both were in hospital and immediately set up an appeal. The result was that Griffiths and his then PA, Val Simmonds, organised Arthur and Fred back into their home of over 50 years, with resident professional nursing care. Fred died in his own home in 1990, and Arthur likewise, on 22 January 1993.
Gandolfi, Louis
Louis Gandolfi was born in 1864. In 1876 at the age of twelve Gandolfi started work as an apprentice cabinet maker. His apprenticeship lasted four years. He then embarked on a career as a camera maker at Lejeune Perkins and Company, of Hatton Garden, London, where he excelled for five years, to the point where his fellow workers complained that he worked too fast and too accurately, thereby earning too much money from the piecework system. He was forced to move on and in 1885 Louis Gandolfi established his own camera making business in Westminster, Louis Gandolfi and Sons Ltd. It was a family business, and initially he was only assisted by his wife Caroline, who learned the skills of French polishing and brasswork lacquering.
In 1890 his first son Thomas Joseph was born, followed by Frederick Louis in 1904, and Arthur Ernest in 1907. The Gandolfi's also had three girls but not much information was available on their births, however it was recorded that the Gandolfi's had six children and all the boys and two of the girls worked the family business.
By 1930 the Gandolfis were over the worst of the 1920s recessions. The eldest son, Tom (born 1890), having survived service in the Great War, devoted himself to cabinetmaking, whilst the middle son, Fred (born 1904), who could do most things, was showing business ability. 'Young' Arthur, having left the business during the 1920s to learn clerical work, returned to fill the job of assembly and finishing.
Louis Gandolfi died in 1932, aged 68. His business was passed onto his three sons, Frederick, Arthur and Thomas.
In 1890 his first son Thomas Joseph was born, followed by Frederick Louis in 1904, and Arthur Ernest in 1907. The Gandolfi's also had three girls but not much information was available on their births, however it was recorded that the Gandolfi's had six children and all the boys and two of the girls worked the family business.
By 1930 the Gandolfis were over the worst of the 1920s recessions. The eldest son, Tom (born 1890), having survived service in the Great War, devoted himself to cabinetmaking, whilst the middle son, Fred (born 1904), who could do most things, was showing business ability. 'Young' Arthur, having left the business during the 1920s to learn clerical work, returned to fill the job of assembly and finishing.
Louis Gandolfi died in 1932, aged 68. His business was passed onto his three sons, Frederick, Arthur and Thomas.
Gandolfi, Thomas
Thomas Gandolfi, camera-maker with Louis Gandolfi and Sons Ltd, was born in London in 1890.
As a young man, he joined his father's (Louis') family camera-making business with his two brothers Arthur and Frederick and two of his three sisters. Over the years, father, mother and five of their six children worked in the business. The work ethic was a necessity in their lives, which ultimately ensured their survival as England's oldest camera manufacturer, and to later fame but no fortune for Fred and his brother Arthur
By 1930 the Gandolfis were over the worst of the 1920s recessions. The eldest son, Tom (born 1890), having survived service in the Great War, devoted himself to cabinetmaking, whilst the middle son, Fred (born 1904), who could do most things, was showing business ability. 'Young' Arthur, having left the business during the 1920s to learn clerical work, returned to fill the job of assembly and finishing. Louis was happy that his three sons could continue the family concern in his tradition and passed the family business onto the three sons after his death in 1932.
None of the Gandolfi brothers was called up in the Second World War. Tom was too old and Fred and Arthur were in a reserved occupation supplying portrait cameras and tripods to the Admiralty, Air Ministry and War Department. Ironically, the brothers were offered a government contract to supply 1,000 cameras, which they soon realised they could not fulfil. The contract went to a rival maker, Watson, who used outworkers. The Gandolfis spent much of the war repairing the results.
Post-war the market for prison 'mugshots' revived a 1935 product. No fewer than 38 prisons and police authorities in the UK alone were customers. There was also an export business to the colonies.
Always a supplier to educational and scientific bodies, the 5 x 4 in format 'Precision' camera was the cheapest of its kind, with the result that the burgeoning photographic colleges bought them by the dozen. This gave rise to a brand loyalty amongst the ex-students, who created a demand unknown before. Rather as with the Morgan sports car, waiting-lists grew from months to years in the early 1970s, which was a situation that the Gandolfis never exploited. Their cameras were fetching a premium on the open market, with the result that dealers' orders were no longer accepted and private customers were subject to some searching questions.
Tom Gandolfi died in 1965.
As a young man, he joined his father's (Louis') family camera-making business with his two brothers Arthur and Frederick and two of his three sisters. Over the years, father, mother and five of their six children worked in the business. The work ethic was a necessity in their lives, which ultimately ensured their survival as England's oldest camera manufacturer, and to later fame but no fortune for Fred and his brother Arthur
By 1930 the Gandolfis were over the worst of the 1920s recessions. The eldest son, Tom (born 1890), having survived service in the Great War, devoted himself to cabinetmaking, whilst the middle son, Fred (born 1904), who could do most things, was showing business ability. 'Young' Arthur, having left the business during the 1920s to learn clerical work, returned to fill the job of assembly and finishing. Louis was happy that his three sons could continue the family concern in his tradition and passed the family business onto the three sons after his death in 1932.
None of the Gandolfi brothers was called up in the Second World War. Tom was too old and Fred and Arthur were in a reserved occupation supplying portrait cameras and tripods to the Admiralty, Air Ministry and War Department. Ironically, the brothers were offered a government contract to supply 1,000 cameras, which they soon realised they could not fulfil. The contract went to a rival maker, Watson, who used outworkers. The Gandolfis spent much of the war repairing the results.
Post-war the market for prison 'mugshots' revived a 1935 product. No fewer than 38 prisons and police authorities in the UK alone were customers. There was also an export business to the colonies.
Always a supplier to educational and scientific bodies, the 5 x 4 in format 'Precision' camera was the cheapest of its kind, with the result that the burgeoning photographic colleges bought them by the dozen. This gave rise to a brand loyalty amongst the ex-students, who created a demand unknown before. Rather as with the Morgan sports car, waiting-lists grew from months to years in the early 1970s, which was a situation that the Gandolfis never exploited. Their cameras were fetching a premium on the open market, with the result that dealers' orders were no longer accepted and private customers were subject to some searching questions.
Tom Gandolfi died in 1965.
SubjectPhotography, Camera-making, Cameras, Cabinet-making
Conditions governing accessAccess is given in accordance with the NMeM access policy. Material from this collection is available to researchers through the museum’s Insight facility.
Conditions governing ReproductionCopies may be supplied of items in the collection, provided that the copying process used does not damage the item or is not detrimental to its preservation. Copies will be supplied in accordance with the NMeM’s terms and conditions for the supply and reproduction of copies, and the provisions of any relevant copyright legislation.
System of arrangementThe collection is currently undergoing cataloguing and a system of arrangement has yet to be established. This field will be updated at a later date.
