Jason Clarke Antiques

Description

For sale a Mid-Victorian Single Draw Officer of The Watch Flag Panel Telescope for EA Seagrove General Outfitters of 22 & 23 The Hard, Portsea.

An unusually good example of this design with typical single draw that measures 60cms extended, 44cms closed and retains it original dust cap and dust slide to the eyepiece. The objective lens measures one and a quarter inch in diameter and has an integrated sun shield sleeve which can be pulled forward to reduce glare.

The leather covered barrel retains its original leather collars at each end to allow for a carry strap to be attached and has a flag panel fitted to the centre of the barrel bearing both divisional and numeral flags as an aide to the observer.

Both the central motif of the flag panel and the first draw are presented with the name of EA Seagrove and the address although the engraving is slightly more detailed as follows:

“Manufactured for EA Seagrove, General Outfitter, 22 & 23 The Hard, Portsea”.

Seagroves were a hugely successful Portsmouth business during the Nineteenth Century owing to the close vicinity of the Royal Navy base. The company went through various changes of family ownership but EA Seagrove traded from the 1872 until the late 1886 which provides a very accurate date range for this example.

The telescope does not bear the name of its original maker, the “manufactured for” clearly implies that Seagrove were buying in various naval accoutrements to compliment their range of stock but I suspect that it could have been Ross, who were a big manufacturer of this design or perhaps George Lee & Son who were instrument makers located very close to the Seagrove establishment during this period.

A very good and less common example of this design with its original carry straps and flag panel.

Circa 1875