Barometers Realm

Richard Frères was a French company founded in 1882 in Paris by brothers Jules (1848–1930) and Max Richard. Their father, Félix Richard, was a manufacturer of scientific instruments, and after his death in 1876, Jules took over the family business. In 1882, his younger brother Max joined him, and they established the partnership under the name Richard Frères.

The company specialized in the production of scientific instruments, including barometers, anemometers, pyrometers, and dynamometers. They also developed meteorographs—portable weather stations that measured humidity using a hygrometer, temperature with a bimetallic strip, and pressure using an aneroid capsule.

In 1891, the partnership between the brothers was dissolved, and Jules continued the business under his own name while retaining the “RF” monogram as the company’s symbol. Following this, the company expanded its activities, beginning the production of stereoscopic cameras such as the Verascope and Glyphoscope, as well as stereoscopic viewing devices, including the Taxiphote.

Interestingly, after the dissolution of the partnership, the name “Richard Frères” was sometimes still used on instruments produced in the early 20th century.