Henry Fitz Jr.
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Fitz, circa 1840-42 daguerreotype
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| Born | (1808-12-31)31 December 1808 |
| Died | 7 November 1863(1863-11-07) (aged 54) |
| Resting place | New York City, USA |
| Occupation | businessman |
| Known for | manufacturer of telescopes, early photography |
| Spouse |
Julia Ann Wells (m. 1844) |
Henry Fitz Jr. (December 31, 1808 - November 7, 1863) was an American engineer, scientist, locksmith, optician, inventor and a pioneer of photography in the United States.
Fitz was born in Newburyport, Massachusetts on December 31, 1808.[1] He married Julia Ann Wells of Southold, Long Island in June 1844.[2]
After returning from a trip in Europe in December 1839, he entered partnership with Alexander Wolcott and John Johnson to solve the problem of making daguerreotype portraits. Johnson fell ill, however, and work only resumed in January 1840. These experiments led Wolcott to patent a special mirror camera.
Wolcott and Johnson opened the first photo studio in the world in March 1840. Fitz opened his own daguerreotype studio in Baltimore in June 1840. A group of daguerreotypes, from the early experimentation with Wolcott and Johnson as well as later studio portraits, were discovered and sold at auction in 2021.[4]
Fitz’s telescope business was highly profitable, so in 1863, he started construction of a new house. However, he died suddenly on November 7, 1863.[5] Obituaries report that his demise was from tuberculosis.[6] Before his final illness, he was about to sail for Europe to select a glass for a 24-inch (610 mm) telescope and to procure patents for a camera involving a new form of lens.[7]
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Fitz was the first important American telescope maker because his pioneering techniques of local correction of poor-quality glass allowed him to construct the largest American made refractor on five different occasions.
.Henry Fitz, of New York, is credited with being the first American who obtained special distinction for the manufacture of refractors; he constructed 30 with object-glasses varying from 6 to 16 inches (410 mm) in diameter.
attributes the initial rise of the American observatory - building movement to the American telescope - maker Henry Fitz ( 1808-1863 ) and he seems to be right. Fitz made big telescopes, setting the record five times for constructing the largest refractor ever made in the U.S
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