Franks Telescope

Six draw refracting telescope by Jacob Franks, made in Manchester, 1815-1825.

Jacob Franks was an optician in Manchester. His father (Isaac) and family were one of the first Jewish families to settle in Manchester between 1788 to 1792. In the eighteenth century, opticians would travel the country with a range of lenses for sight correction and standard frames. Jacob’s father, Isaac Franks, was a travelling optician.

The Franks family established a permanent optician premises in Manchester around the turn of the nineteenth century - there was business opportunity as the city’s population grew rapidly. Having a high street shop was a significant step forward, differentiating the experience of Jacob Franks’ as an optician from the travelling opticians in his father’s generation before. The shop primarily sold spectacles, but also related optical equipment like this six draw telescope.

Jacob Franks’ name is engraved on the first section of the telescope and there are lens covers at both ends of the telescope that can be retracted. The six sections can be extended and retracted to make the telescope more portable.