British optical manufacturers based in London produced a wide range of optical products: microscopes, telescopes, eye test glasses for opticians (optometer lenses), other optical equipment, including camera lenses and cameras.

1843 - Established by Richard Beck (1827-1866), Joseph Beck (1828-1891) and James Smith as 'Smith and Beck';

1854 - renamed 'Smith, Beck and Beck' ;

1865 - named 'Beck & Beck' after Smith's retirement;

c.1867-1894 - R & J Beck

1868-1880s - traded at 31 Cornhill, London, with Lister Works in Holloway, London, England, also Philadelphia, USA,

1880s-1910s - traded at 68 Cornhill, London

c. 1894 - incorporated as a limited company R & J Beck Ltd.

Beck used the trade name 'Cornex', taken from their address at Cornhill, London; notable for their popular 'Frena' models of the 1900s.

1921 - stopped appearing in the British Journal Photographic Almanac, although they continued to produced scientific and optical instruments, and a few specialist cameras.

London factory possibly destroyed WW2.

by 1950 located at 69 Mortimer Street, London, W1

by 1960s - part of the Griffin & George group of companies at Bushey Mill Lane, Watford, England;

1968 - taken over by The Earling Corporation, South Natick, Massachusetts, United States and became Ealing Beck Ltd.