England’s oldest camera manufacturer, Gandolfi & Sons, closed for business in October 2017. Founded as Gandolfi Cameras in 1888 by Louis Gandolfi, the cameras earned an international reputation for craftsmanship. In addition to his patented designs, Louis also made custom cameras for famous photographers including explorers Herbert Ponting and the Earl of Carnarvon. After his death in 1928, the business was passed on to his sons Thomas, Fred, and Arthur and renamed Gandolfi & Sons. By 1982, Fred and Arthur (Thomas passed away in 1965) could no longer continue to operate the business and sold it to Brian Gould and Sir Kenneth Corfield, continuing the camera-making tradition until 2017 for a total of 129 years.
In 1974, the BBC produced a documentary about brothers Fred and Arthur Gandolfi’s handmade large format cameras. In the film, Fred talks about what it’s like to grow up in a family business and uses antique tools to craft beautiful wooden cameras.