Ansco 1842 - 1967

Founded in 1841/1842 as a daguerreotype gallery by Edward Anthony in New York; expanded its activity becoming photography supplier in 1847; 1852 Edward Anthony's brother Henry T joined the company, renamed E & H T Anthony Co.; began making cameras in 1870; merged with Scoville & Adams in 1902, becoming Anthony & Scoville Co. (hence Ansco) in 1902; merged with German photographic firm Agfa in 1928 to form Agfa-Ansco, itself renamed in 1939 General Aniline & Film (GAF), but continued to produce cameras under the Agfa-Ansco name, many rebadged or licensed from other manufacturers; in 1943 the company was taken over by the US Government because of Agfa-Ansco's German links; continued camera production as Ansco until 1967 when the company was once again renamed GAF; in 1978 Haking of Hong Kong acquired the rights to the Ansco trademark, with 'Ansco' badged cameras continuing to be made by Haking until the 1990s; GAF itself became Anitec, until taken over by Kodak.