Ross, Andrew

SUBJECT AREA: Photography, film and optics

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b. 1798 London, England d. 1859

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English optical-instrument maker, founder of a photographic-lens making dynasty.

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Apprenticed to the optical-instrument maker Gilbert at the age of 14, Ross rose to become Manager of the factory before leaving to found his own business in 1830. He soon earned a reputation for fine craftsmanship and was the first optician in England to produce achromatic microscope objectives. He had an early involvement with photography, perhaps before the public announcements in 1839, for he supplied lenses and instruments to Talbot. On hearing of Petzval's portrait lens, he made a highaperture portrait lens to his own design for the first professional calotypist, Henry Collan. It was unsuccessful, however, and Ross did little more photographic work of note, although his son Thomas and his son-in-law and one-time apprentice, John Henry Dallmeyer, made significant contributions to English photographic optics. Both Thomas and Dallmeyer were left large sums of money on Andrew's death, and independently they established successful businesses; they were to become the two most important suppliers of photographic lenses in England.

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Further Reading

Rudolf Kingslake, 1989, A History of the Photographic Lens, Boston (a brief biography of Ross).

J.M.Eder, 1945, History of Photography, trans. E.Epstean, New York.

H.J.P.Arnold, 1977, William Henry Fox Talbot, London.

JW