 | |
| Company type | Large format and medium format press cameras and lens manufacturer |
|---|---|
| Industry | photography |
| Founded | 1887 |
| Defunct | 1973 |
| Headquarters | New York City , USA |
Key people | William F. Folmer and William E. Schwing, founders |
| Products | Cameras, Optical and other products |
Number of employees | 700 |
| Parent | Eastman Kodak Company (1909), later Singer Corporation (1968) |
Graflex was a manufacturer that gave its brand name to several camera models.
The company was founded as the Folmer and Schwing Manufacturing Company in New York City in 1887 by William F. Folmer and William E. Schwing as a metal working factory, manufacturing gas light fixtures, chandeliers, bicycles and eventually, cameras.[1]
In 1909, it was acquired by George Eastman, and the company was moved to 12 Caledonia Avenue (later renamed Clarissa Street) in Rochester, New York in 1928. It operated as the Folmer & Schwing Division of the Eastman Kodak Company.[1]
In 1926, Kodak was forced to divest itself of the division, which was spun off forming a new company, the Folmer Graflex Corporation, which changed its name to Graflex Inc. in 1946. In 1956, it became a Division of the General Instrument Precision Company, and moved its offices to Pittsford, New York outside Rochester. In 1968, the company was sold to the Singer Corporation.[1][2]
Graflex was known for the quintessential press camera, the Speed Graphic which was manufactured for over 60 years, and was used by most of the photojournalists in the first half of the 20th century.