Taylor, Taylor & Hobson

Est. 1886

Taylor, Taylor & Hobson

Taylor, Taylor & Hobson, later commonly known as Taylor Hobson, was a British optical manufacturer founded in Leicester, England. The company became one of the most influential names in photographic and cinematographic lens design, producing lenses under the famous Cooke name for still photography, cinema, projection, and specialist optical applications. Its legacy includes the Cooke Triplet, Cooke Anastigmat lenses, Cooke Speed Panchros, Taylor-Hobson metrology instruments, and a long association with precision optical manufacturing.

For Leica-compatible rangefinder collectors, Taylor, Taylor & Hobson is relevant because of rare British-made lenses found in Leica screw mount, LTM, L39, and M39. Important examples include the Cooke Amotal Anastigmat 2 inch f/2, the Taylor-Hobson 2 inch f/2 Anastigmat associated with Reid cameras, and other scarce British rangefinder lenses. These lenses place Taylor, Taylor & Hobson within the small group of British optical manufacturers with direct Leica screw mount relevance, alongside makers such as Dallmeyer, Wray, National Optical Co., and Taylor-Hobson supplied Reid optics.

History

Founding / Early Years

Taylor, Taylor & Hobson was founded in 1886 in Leicester, England, by the brothers William Taylor and Thomas Smithies Taylor. The company began as a lens-making business and quickly developed a reputation for precision optical work. From the start, its identity was built around high-quality lens production, accurate measurement, and repeatable manufacturing.

The company’s early work took place during a period when photographic optics were developing rapidly. Camera makers required better-corrected lenses for portraiture, landscape photography, scientific work, and general photography. Taylor, Taylor & Hobson became one of the British companies that helped define this transition from simple early lens types toward more highly corrected anastigmat designs.

Cooke Triplet and Cooke Lens Production

The most important early turning point came in the 1890s with the Cooke Triplet. The design was created by H. Dennis Taylor, optical manager at T. Cooke & Sons of York, and patented in 1893. Taylor, Taylor & Hobson manufactured the lens under the Cooke name, establishing a lens brand that became internationally famous.

The Cooke Triplet was important because it offered strong correction in a relatively simple three-element formula. It became one of the foundational photographic lens designs and influenced many later normal lenses, projection lenses, and camera objectives. The Cooke name then expanded beyond the original triplet into a broad family of still-camera and cine lenses produced by Taylor, Taylor & Hobson in Leicester.

Growth in Still Photography and Cinema

During the early twentieth century, Taylor, Taylor & Hobson expanded its lens catalog. The company made Cooke lenses for large-format cameras, portrait work, projection, aerial photography, and early motion picture production. Cooke lenses became especially important in cinema, where their optical quality, consistency, and rendering made them popular with film studios.

The company produced notable cine lens families including Cooke Speed Panchro lenses, which became one of the most important cinema lens series of the twentieth century. The Speed Panchro line helped establish the Cooke name as a reference in motion picture optics and contributed to the visual identity often described as the Cooke Look, a combination of smooth rendering, natural contrast, and pleasing transitions.

British Rangefinder and Leica Screw Mount Relevance

Taylor, Taylor & Hobson’s direct relevance to Leica-compatible rangefinder equipment comes from a smaller group of 35mm lenses produced or later mounted for Leica screw mount systems. The Taylor-Hobson 2 inch f/2 Anastigmat was associated with the British Reid rangefinder system, which used Leica Thread Mount and was built as a high-quality British Leica-type camera.

The Cooke Amotal Anastigmat 2 inch f/2 is another important lens for this context. The Amotal was strongly associated with the American Bell & Howell Foton camera, where it appeared as a fast 2 inch f/2 standard lens. Surviving examples are also documented in Leica screw mount or M39 rangefinder-coupled mounts. Some examples may have originated as Foton lenses and were later converted or remounted into Leica-compatible mounts, while auction and dealer records also describe M39 coupled examples. Because of this, individual lenses should be checked carefully for mount originality, rangefinder coupling, and physical construction.

Metrology and Later Corporate Direction

By the mid-twentieth century, Taylor Hobson increasingly moved toward precision measurement and metrology. The company developed surface finish and roundness measuring instruments and became an important name in industrial precision measurement. This shift gradually moved the Taylor Hobson business away from mainstream photographic lens production.

In 1998, the Cooke lens division became independent as Cooke Optics, allowing the Cooke cinema lens name to continue separately from Taylor Hobson’s metrology-focused business. Cooke Optics remains active as a high-end cinema lens manufacturer, while Taylor Hobson continues as a precision measurement and metrology company.

Product Lines

Leica Screw Mount and Rangefinder Lenses

Taylor, Taylor & Hobson’s most relevant products for Leica-compatible rangefinder use are rare LTM, L39, and M39 lenses. These include the Cooke Amotal Anastigmat 2 inch f/2 in Leica screw mount and the Taylor-Hobson 2 inch f/2 Anastigmat connected to the Reid rangefinder system. These lenses are collectible because they combine British optical design with Leica screw mount usability.

Cooke Amotal Anastigmat Lenses

The Cooke Amotal Anastigmat 2 inch f/2 is a fast British normal lens from the late 1940s period. It is closely associated with the Bell & Howell Foton camera, but Leica screw mount examples are also documented. The lens is valued by collectors because it offers Taylor-Hobson Cooke rendering in a 50mm-class rangefinder format.

Reid System Lenses

The Taylor-Hobson 2 inch f/2 Anastigmat was the standard lens associated with the British Reid camera system. Reid cameras used Leica screw mount, which makes these lenses directly relevant to Leica-compatible rangefinder collecting. The Reid lens should be documented separately from the Cooke Amotal, because the naming, barrel design, and system context are not identical.

Cooke Triplet Lenses

The Cooke Triplet became one of the most influential photographic lens formulas in optical history. Although not specifically a Leica-system product, it is central to the company’s identity. The design helped establish the Cooke name and shaped lens development for still cameras, projection systems, and many later simple lens formulas.

Cooke Anastigmat Still-Camera Lenses

Taylor, Taylor & Hobson produced many Cooke Anastigmat lenses for still photography. These included lenses for plate cameras, folding cameras, large-format cameras, portrait cameras, and specialist applications. Most of these are outside the Leica screw mount system but are important to the company’s optical heritage.

Cooke Speed Panchro and Cinema Lenses

The Cooke Speed Panchro series became one of the most celebrated cinema lens families of the twentieth century. Cooke cinema lenses were widely used in professional motion picture production and helped define the company’s long-term reputation in cinematography.

Projection, Aerial, and Technical Lenses

Taylor, Taylor & Hobson also produced projection lenses, aerial lenses, military optics, and technical optical systems. These products show the company’s broader role as an industrial optical manufacturer rather than only a still-camera lens maker.

Metrology Instruments

Later Taylor Hobson became globally known for precision measurement instruments, including surface finish, contour, and roundness measurement systems. This later product direction is outside the Leica-compatible lens field but important to the company’s survival and modern identity.

Technical Characteristics

Feature Description
Company Type British optical manufacturer, later precision metrology manufacturer.
Original Name Taylor, Taylor & Hobson.
Later Common Name Taylor Hobson.
Founders William Taylor and Thomas Smithies Taylor.
Historic Base Leicester, England.
Important Brand Name Cooke.
Main Historic Products Photographic lenses, cine lenses, projection lenses, aerial lenses, specialist optics, and metrology instruments.
Leica-Compatible Relevance Rare Leica screw mount and M39 rangefinder lenses, especially the Cooke Amotal Anastigmat 2 inch f/2 and Reid-associated Taylor-Hobson 2 inch f/2 Anastigmat.
Relevant Mounts Leica screw mount, LTM, L39, M39 on confirmed examples.
Rangefinder Coupling Present on documented M39 / Leica screw mount examples.
Important Leica-Compatible Lens Cooke Amotal Anastigmat 2 inch f/2 LTM.
Related British Camera System Reid rangefinder cameras.
Important Lens Families Cooke Triplet, Cooke Anastigmat, Cooke Amotal, Cooke Speed Panchro, Cooke Panchro, Cooke Kinetal, Cooke Ivotal.
Optical Character Often associated with smooth tonal transitions, natural contrast, classic British rendering, and cinematic image character.
Collector Caution Not every Cooke or Taylor-Hobson lens is Leica-compatible. Only confirmed LTM, M39, Leica M, or properly rangefinder-coupled examples should be entered as Leica-system lenses.
Modern Continuation Cooke Optics continues the Cooke cinema lens tradition, while Taylor Hobson continues as a metrology company.

Market Reception

Taylor, Taylor & Hobson is one of the most respected British names in optical history. Its reputation comes from both still photography and cinema, especially through the Cooke lens name. The company’s influence began with the Cooke Triplet and later expanded into Cooke Anastigmat lenses, Speed Panchro cinema lenses, projection optics, aerial lenses, and specialist optical instruments.

Among cinema users, Cooke lenses are valued for their smooth rendering and visual character. The expression Cooke Look is often used to describe the warm, natural, and rounded image quality associated with many Cooke cinema lenses. This cinema reputation helps explain why even small still-camera Cooke lenses attract collector attention.

Among Leica screw mount collectors, Taylor, Taylor & Hobson occupies a smaller but highly desirable niche. The Cooke Amotal Anastigmat 2 inch f/2 LTM and related British 2 inch f/2 Taylor-Hobson lenses are uncommon, valuable, and historically interesting. Their appeal comes from rarity, British manufacture, Cooke optical heritage, and compatibility with Leica screw mount cameras.

For the database, Taylor, Taylor & Hobson should be included as a valid make because confirmed Leica screw mount and M39 rangefinder-coupled examples exist. However, the make should be scoped carefully. Most Cooke lenses were not made for Leica rangefinders, and many Cooke cinema lenses require separate treatment if they were adapted later. Native or historically documented Leica screw mount examples should be prioritized.

Sources

Lenses (1)

Filters 1 results
Make Model Price Focal Length Aperture Release year Diameter (mm) Length (mm) Weight (g) Min focus distance Elements Groups Filter diameter (mm) MountModel number(s)Actions
Taylor, Taylor & HobsonCooke Amotal Anastigmat 2 inch f/2 LTM—5021948————64—LTMCooke Amotal Anastigmat ELC, Cooke Amotal 2 inch f/2, Taylor Hobson 2 inch f/2, Taylor Taylor & Hobson 2 inch f/2