Thornton-Pickard was a British camera manufacturer established in 1888 and closed in 1939. The company was based in

Altrincham Altrincham ( , locally ) is a market town in Trafford, Greater Manchester, England, south of the River Mersey. It is southwest of Manchester city centre, southwest of Sale and east of Warrington. At the 2011 Census, it had a population o ...

, near Manchester, and was an early pioneer in the development of the camera industry. Thornton-Pickard Mark III

The Thornton-Pickard company was founded by John Edward Thornton and Edgar Pickard in Manchester, in 1888. The company moved to a new factory at Broadheath, Altrincham in 1891. The "Time & Instantaneous" shutter was designed and patented by Thornton in 1892. This shutter design was also licensed to a number of other camera makers. Some early cameras produced by the company included the "Ruby" and "Amber" models. In 1897, the company became a

limited company In a limited company, the liability of members or subscribers of the company is limited to what they have invested or guaranteed to the company. Limited companies may be limited by Share (finance), shares or by guarantee. In a company limited by ...

, followed shortly afterwards by the sudden death of Edgar Pickard due to a perforated ulcer. Thornton now found himself in a company dominated by the Pickard family, who he disliked intensely, and shortly afterwards he left. In 1899, he formed a new business partnership with Charles Rothwell, a chemist who shared Thornton's interest in photography. The company was called the Thornton Film Company. In 1913, Thornton emigrated to the United States and went on to patent a three-colour cine film that was manufactured under license by

Eastman Kodak The Eastman Kodak Company (referred to simply as Kodak ) is an American public company that produces various products related to its historic basis in analogue photography. The company is headquartered in Rochester, New York, and is incorpor ...

. Thornton eventually returned to England, and died some years later in 1940. Following the loss of its founders, Thornton-Pickard continued to manufacture cameras. The successful "Imperial Triple Extension" model was introduced in 1913 and continued in production until the 1930s. During the First World War, the company produced a number of cameras for military use, including the Mark III Hythe

gun camera Gun cameras are cameras mounted on a gun, used to photograph or record from its perspective. They are typically used on the weapons of military aircraft and operate either when the gun is fired or at the operator's will. Gun cameras are used for ...

. In 1921, the company merged with several others to form Amalgamated Photographic Manufacturers. Throughout the 1920s and 1930s, the company found it increasingly difficult to compete with cheaper imported cameras, and ceased trading in 1939.

References

Thornton-Pickard Manufacturing Co Ltd history
Accessed 20 August 2012
Thornton-Pickard Camera listing and Catalog Information
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Historic Camera
{{Authority control Photography companies of the United Kingdom Cameras Companies based in Trafford Defunct manufacturing companies of the United Kingdom Photography in the United Kingdom Manufacturing companies established in 1888 Manufacturing companies disestablished in 1939