ANTIQUE 19C. BARDOU & SON PARIS FRANCE RIFLE RANGE BRASS & LEATHER 33X TELESCOPE

Description

ANTIQUE 19TH CENTURY
BARDOU & SON PARIS, FRANCE
BRASS & LEATHER
33X
RIFLE RANGE TELESCOPE
ORIGINAL OWNER'S NAME ENGRAVED
Description
Rifle range telescope, Bardou & Son, Paris, France. Best-made 33x power telescope ever—highest French quality. Manufactured from 1855 through 1910, and sold through Sears Roebuck & Co., Queen of Philadelphia, P. J. O’Hare, and others. This telescope was used by the U.S. Army. This telescope is engraved with the original owner's name in cursive along with the name of the manufacturer.
Brass body covered in leather measures 10¼ inches when closed. When extended the four draw brass sections measure approx. 35¼” inches.
Maker's Mark Engraved in Cursive on the Telescope:
Bardou & Son
(
with Bardou G B Trademark
)
Paris
Rifle Range Telescope
Power 33 times
Property of
Eugene E. Patridge
Boston
About the Owner
Based on the engraved name of the original owner, Eugene E. Patridge, the telescope likely dates to circa 1880. Patridge's name appears in the Annual Cyclopedia of Insurance in the United States organized in 1872, and he was
an officer and on the Executive Committee and
an original member of the Boston Life Underwriters' Association and the Boston Board of Fire Underwriters organized in 1882. He was an important figure in the development and organization of the insurance industry in Massachusetts.
Condition
Some wear and tear commensurate with its age. Leather covering has intact seam with light wear on the upper section; lower where the bottom lens is housed shows much wear from handling. Brass draws have dark oxidation with some of the brass showing through. The patina is all original - not cleaned. The original lenses are in place at the eyepiece and at the end piece. I cannot speak to the condition of the optics because I am not familiar with the workings of the telescope.
A rare antique piece of historic significance.