George Houghton established his camera business in London in the 19th Century and sold cameras all over the world.This camera would have been used by a professional photographer in the early 20th Century. It was British made and used extensively in Australia. This camera has no known local provenance but is retained as an interesting example of early photography in 20th Century Australia.This is a folding camera for professional use. It has a concertina mechanism that folds back into a leather case. The lens board can be tilted and the lenses can be changed. The case has a leather handle. The name of the maker is inserted into the case. The case is somewhat rubbed. ENSIGN Made by Houghtons Ltd. London British Made ENSIGNhoughton camera, early 20th century cameras, warrnambool

The ensignette was a vest pocket camera. The Ensignette was one of the very characteristic camera types of Houghtons Ltd., London. This strut folding roll film camera of Houghton's "Ensign – British made" brand was an ingenious construction, a real vest pocket item when folded. One of the round framed impressions on its front plate says that it was based on patent 28464 of the year 1907. The Swedish engineer Magnus Neill had designed this first British all-metal camera of which ten of thousands were made. The camera was launched before Christmas 1909. It was ordered by distributors all over the world, for example by G. Gennert. (Ref: camerapedia) The Ensignette was very popular because it was one of the first practical, compact cameras at an affordable price to the average man. A miniature bellows, roll film, camera - Ensignette No. 2. It is black metal with folding bellows. On the front is an aperture control knob. There is a window at the back for the film number.Flag with Union Jack Ensignphotography ensignette camera

This camera is a folding one, the Ensignette No 2 model made by the British firm of Houghtons Ltd which was originally a glass warehouse founded in 1834. The firm of George Houghton and Sons, dating from the late 19th century, established their camera business at Ensign House in London in 1903 and the Ensignette No 2, designed by a Swedish engineer, was introduced in 1912. Eastman Kodak of America produced a film for this model. This camera was a popular one with amateur photographers and the general public, being affordable, compact and easy to use. This camera is retained as an example of a British-made folding camera dating from nearly 100 years ago. It will be useful for display..1 This is a black metal camera which is rectangular in shape. It is a strut folding rollfilm camera with a lens that is folded inside in a thin leather concertina or bellows covering. It has the maker’s name and logo etched into the front of the camera. The logo is a flag with the British Union Jack in one corner and the word ‘Ensign’ inside the flag. The metal on the back of the camera is rusted. .2 This is a brown leather cover for the folding camera described above. It has a top lid flap which closes with a metal stud and a leather handle stitched on to the sides of the case. The cover is much worn and scuffed. Ensignette No 2 Ensign British Made Made by Houghtons Ltd England vintage cameras

The Ensign folding bellows camera was manufactured by Houghton-Butcher Ltd, this company was responsible for producing various cameras and accessories including the Ensign. Houghtons dates back to 1834 when George Houghton Joined Antoine Claudet as a glass seller. In 1839 they secured patent rights to the newly developed Daguerreotype process for photography. On Claudet's death in 1867 the firm became George Houghton and Son. The firm combined with W. Butcher in 1915 for manufacturing and the two merged in1926 a selling arm, Ensign was set up in 1930. On the night of September 24-25, 1940, enemy action completely destroyed Ensign's premises at 88/89 High Holborn. The business continued with variations of the name until 1961. R & J Beck company, a renowned British optical manufacturer founded in 1843.A black folding bellows camera in a leather case labeled H. E. Hill No 2 Yarra St Alphington. The camera expands to 22 centimetre length lens. The lens is labeled Beck Symmetrical Lens. There is small round yellow label in the camera - THE "ENSIGN' H Ltd. London. A white mark on a black circle above the lens combining a H and L may signify Houghton-Butcher Ltd. There are no designated makers names on the camera. folding camera, ensign cameras, houghton ltd., houghton and butcher ltd., r&j beck lens, h. e. hill