Hasselblad

Swedish manufacturer of medium-format cameras; established in 1841 in Gothenburg, Sweden, as a trading company, F. W. Hasselblad and Co.; the founder's son, Arvid Viktor Hasselblad, was interested in photography and started the photographic division of the company; in 1888 Hasselblad became the sole Swedish distributor of Eastman Kodak products; by 1908 the company had expanded to providing photo labs and a network of shops which were spun off into their own company Fotografiska AB; during the second world war Victor Hasselblad developed an aerial camera for the Swedish airforce; began producing civilian high quality cameras in the 1940s; by 1962, NASA had begun to use Hasselblad cameras on space flights, and to request design modifications; in 1966, with the increasing success of the camera division, Hasselblad left the photographic supply and retailing industry, selling Hasselblad Fotografiska AB to Kodak; in 1976 Victor Hasselblad sold Hasselblad AB to a Swedish investment company, Säfveån AB; the company went public in 1984; in 1996 Hassleblad was bought by UBS, Cinven and Hassleblad management; 2002 Hasselblad began production of digital cameras; 2003 Shriro Group acquired a majority shareholding in Hasselblad; 2004 merger with digital cameraback and scanner manufacturer Imacon, allowing Hasselblad to fully concentrate on production of medium format digital cameras and digital backs.