CECIL E. HANSON COLLECTION
ANTIQUE SURVEYING INSTRUMENTS

FOREIGN ALIDADES

A. J. Krogh - Khristiania (Oslo), Norway, ca 1900

Serial Number: 186
Type: Telescopic Alidade
Telescope Length: 18"
Base Length: 21"
Base Width: 3-1/4"
Height: 8-1/4"
Weight: 7.4 lb
Condition: Good. Lens focuses, but it appears that cross hairs are broken.
Box: No
Found: Purchased from Arthur Iverson, optical instrument maker, in Trondheim, Norway (Sept 1, 1965)
CEH Inventory# FA2

A. J. Krogh Background

Andreas Jensen Krough was born in 1849, probably in Christiania (now Oslo), Norway. He initially worked for instrument maker C. H. Olsen, beginning in 1867, before starting his own optical instrument maker's workshop in Christiania in 1877. It is likely the above instrument was made in the late 1800's.

There is an alidade (S/N 252) identical to the above in the University of Bergen's digital collection of land surveying instruments starting from the end of the 19th century to the present day.

Andreas' life was filled with recognition and advancement for all the work he did. He secretly developed new aiming devices for the defense in 1896, and supplied glasses to Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson and equipment to Roald Amundsen. Also, he manufactured instruments invented by the renown Norweigian ophthalmologist, Hjalmar August Schiøtz. These included the ophthalmoscope (ca 1880) and the tonometer (ca 1900) widely used for measuring occular pressure.

After he died in 1908, the family has continued the business which today is known as Krough Optikk, an optician chain with 22 stores in Oslo, Akershus, Drammen, Tønsberg, Sandefjord, Larvik, Bergen and Trondheim. They make and sell eyewear and are no longer in the instrument business.

Andreas had two sons that achieved fame and excellence in the fields that they pursued:

Erling Krogh (born 12 September 1888 in Kristiania, died 28 October 1968 in Oslo) was an opera singer with a tenor voice.  He initially trained as a goldsmith at the Royal School of Art and Design in Kristiania 1905-09, and worked as a goldsmith 1905-15. He had singing talent, and he studied singing with Ellen Schytte-Jacobsen in Kristiania, with Peter Cornelius in Copenhagen and Paris 1915-18, with Professor Hettisch in Paris 1920-21, and Jean de Reszke in Nice 1921. In 1934 he studied in Italy.

Erling Krogh made his debut in 1915 and was employed at the Opera Comique from 1918 to 1921, where he was one of the driving forces. He was leader of the Norwegian Opera Company 1922–23 and Erling Krogh's Opera Company 1923–24. He also worked as a singing teacher 1921–23 and after 1936. In the 1920s and 1930s he had extensive touring activities in Norway and in several European countries and in the USA. During his career, Krogh appeared in over 30 operas and operettas. He visited the Berlin Staatsoper, the Royal Theater in Copenhagen and the Royal Opera.

Krogh made his first disc recording in 1916, and was behind a number of recordings over 40 years. He received the King's Medal of Merit in gold in 1960.

Andreas Jens Krogh (born 9 July 1894 in Christiania, died 25 April 1964 in Oslo) was a champion Norwegian figure skater who participated in the 1920 Olympic Games in Antwerp, winning a silver metal. Following his skating career he was an optician, probably in the family business.

Andreas Jensen Krogh, ca 1900, - Olso Museum