Radiguet et Fils
A historic French manufacturer of precision scientific, optical, electrical, educational, and radiological instruments.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
Radiguet et Fils, also styled Radiguet & Fils and translated as “Radiguet and Son,” was a French precision-instrument manufacturer established in 1805. Although it is sometimes described in brief commercial summaries as a jeweler or watchmaker, the documented historical subject was principally a maker and distributor of scientific and medical equipment. Its activities developed from optical manufacture into a wide range of instruments used in astronomy, navigation, education, electricity, photography, and radiology. The company was reportedly founded by Madame Collot. Ownership later passed to Louis Chevalier, a precision-instrument maker related to the Chevalier optical family. In 1830, Chevalier transferred the business to his former apprentice Honoré-Marie Radiguet. Radiguet had established a reputation for optical equipment, especially parallel mirrors used in astronomical and maritime applications. Under his son Antoine-Honoré Radiguet, the business broadened its range to barometers, thermometers, and other scientific devices. Antoine-Honoré also held a leadership position in the French trade association for precision instruments. During the nineteenth century, the firm combined industrial production with public education and commercial promotion. Antoine-Honoré and his son Arthur Radiguet operated engineering and photography workshops and marketed scientific toys under the name La Petite Mécanique. These products presented contemporary scientific principles in an accessible form and helped associate the firm with the educational culture of modernizing France. The company operated from 13 and 15 boulevard des Filles-du-Calvaire in Paris, an address found on many surviving instruments. Radiguet et Fils became involved in electrical and photographic technologies, including the production of Oudin coils. After the discovery of X-rays, the company increasingly supplied radiological equipment, particularly induction coils. In 1899, Arthur Radiguet entered into partnership with his son-in-law Georges Massiot, and the business became Radiguet & Massiot. The combined firm soon absorbed Molteni and moved to the Molteni workshop at 44 rue du Château-d’Eau. The Massiot-era business became an important French participant in the development of radiology. It collaborated with physician Hyacinthe Guilleminot on equipment for radiographic examination of horizontal patients and later worked on mobile automobile-based radiology equipment during the First World War. In 1936, Massiot & Cie produced what is described as the first commercial tomography machine, and in 1951 it manufactured the first production model of the polytome. The company also sold a broad catalogue of equipment, including cells, batteries, compasses, galvanometers, polarimeters, microscopes, projection lanterns, educational slides, and radiography apparatus. The enterprise received medals and prizes at international exhibitions, including gold medals associated with the 1878 and 1900 World's Fairs and a Grand Prize at the 1905 Liège International Exposition. After Georges Massiot retired at the end of the Second World War, his sons Jean and Marcel became involved in management; Marcel died shortly afterward in 1946. The firm continued as Massiot & Cie until 1960, when Philips Medical Systems acquired a stake and the name changed to Massiot Philips. The business was ultimately absorbed into Philips in 1988. Surviving instruments and machines are held in collections including the Centre Antoine Béclère.
History
Radiguet et Fils emerged from the French precision-instrument trade in the early nineteenth century. A company history published in 1888 identified Madame Collot as its founder in 1805. The enterprise subsequently passed to Louis Chevalier, who transferred it in 1830 to Honoré-Marie Radiguet, a former apprentice with expertise in optical manufacture. Radiguet was particularly associated with parallel mirrors designed for astronomical observation and maritime navigation. The next generation broadened the firm's technical range. Under Antoine-Honoré Radiguet, the business added barometers, thermometers, and other scientific instruments. Antoine-Honoré also became president of the trade association representing precision-instrument manufacturers. His financial commitment to applying parallel mirrors to daguerreotype photography proved costly when alternative solutions to image reversal emerged, but the firm continued to diversify. Antoine-Honoré and his son Arthur promoted the business through engineering and photography workshops and through La Petite Mécanique, a line of scientific toys. These products translated contemporary scientific ideas into educational mechanisms and helped establish the firm as more than a specialist workshop. The Paris premises at 13 and 15 boulevard des Filles-du-Calvaire were used for a broad catalogue that included optical, electrical, photographic, educational, and measurement products. The company was an early producer of the Oudin coil and entered radiology after Wilhelm Röntgen's discovery of X-rays. Its radiological work focused especially on induction coils and related equipment. In 1899, Arthur Radiguet partnered with Georges Massiot, his son-in-law, and the company adopted the name Radiguet & Massiot. It soon absorbed Molteni and moved to the Molteni workshop at 44 rue du Château-d'Eau. Arthur also developed a battery bearing the Radiguet name and worked as a radiology specialist. He died in 1905 from radiodermatitis, an occupational injury associated with exposure to radiation, and his case became part of the early French medical literature on the condition. In 1910 the company became Massiot & Cie and relocated from Paris to Courbevoie. During the first half of the twentieth century, it played a significant role in French radiology. In 1902, the Radiguet & Massiot business collaborated with Hyacinthe Guilleminot on a radiographic bed intended to improve imaging of patients lying horizontally. During the First World War, the firm and Guilleminot also worked on a vehicle-mounted radiology system, although that design was not put into operational use. The firm's catalogue around the turn of the century included Leclanché cells, the Radiguet battery, compasses, galvanometers, radiography equipment, polarimeters, microscopes, projection lanterns, and educational projection slides. It received international recognition, including gold medals associated with the 1878 and 1900 World's Fairs and a Grand Prize at the 1905 Liège International Exposition. In 1936, Massiot & Cie produced the first commercial tomography machine described in the historical record, and in 1951 it manufactured the first production model for the polytome. Georges Massiot retired at the end of the Second World War. Management passed to his sons Jean and Marcel, although Marcel died soon afterward in 1946. Massiot & Cie continued until 1960, when Philips Medical Systems acquired a stake and the name became Massiot Philips. In 1988, the operation was absorbed into Philips. The independent Radiguet et Fils identity is therefore defunct, while surviving instruments and machines remain preserved in collections including the Centre Antoine Béclère.
- 1988
Absorption into Philips
[1]Massiot Philips was absorbed into Philips, ending the successor company's independent identity.
- 1960
Philips Medical Systems investment
[1]Philips Medical Systems acquired a stake and the company began operating as Massiot Philips.
- 1951
First production polytome model
[1]The company manufactured the first production model for the polytome.
- 1936
Commercial tomography machine
[1]Massiot & Cie produced what the historical account identifies as the first commercial tomography machine.
- 1910
Renamed Massiot & Cie and moved to Courbevoie
[1]The company adopted the Massiot & Cie name and relocated from Paris to Courbevoie.
- 1905
Liège exposition Grand Prize
[1]The firm received a Grand Prize at the Liège International Exposition.
- 1902
Radiographic bed collaboration
[1]Radiguet & Massiot collaborated with Hyacinthe Guilleminot on a bed design intended to improve radiography of horizontal patients.
- 1900
Further exhibition recognition
[1]The company received another gold medal at an international exhibition associated with the 1900 World's Fair.
- 1899
Radiguet & Massiot formed
[1]Arthur Radiguet and Georges Massiot entered into partnership, creating the Radiguet & Massiot operating identity.
- 1878
International exhibition recognition
[1]The firm received a gold medal at an international exhibition associated with the 1878 World's Fair.
Products and positioning
A French precision-technology house that combined optical craftsmanship, scientific education, electrical engineering, and medical imaging equipment.
Optical instruments
Parallel mirrors
Optical mirrors associated with Honoré-Marie Radiguet and intended for astronomical observation and maritime navigation. Their proposed use in daguerreotype photography also became a major but financially unsuccessful nineteenth-century development effort for the company.
Scientific and educational toys
La Petite Mécanique
A line of scientific toys developed and marketed by Antoine-Honoré and Arthur Radiguet. The range used mechanical demonstrations to communicate contemporary scientific principles and helped the company reach schools, families, and technically curious consumers.
Electrical and radiological equipment
Oudin coil
An induction-coil product associated with Radiguet & Fils. After the emergence of X-ray technology, induction coils became part of the company's radiological-equipment business and supported its transition toward medical imaging.
Electrical equipment
Radiguet battery
A battery developed and promoted by Arthur Radiguet as part of the firm's electrical-instrument portfolio. It appeared alongside cells, galvanometers, and other devices listed in period trade directories.
Medical imaging equipment
Radiography equipment
Radiological systems and induction-coil equipment produced after the discovery of X-rays. The business also collaborated on radiographic furniture and investigated mobile radiology for use in vehicles during the First World War.
Medical imaging equipment · 1936
Commercial tomography machine
A tomography system produced by Massiot & Cie in 1936. The historical account describes it as the first commercial tomography machine, marking the company's move beyond conventional radiography into sectional medical imaging.
Medical imaging equipment · 1951
Polytome
A tomography-related system for which Massiot & Cie manufactured the first production model in 1951. It represented the firm's continued participation in the industrial development of advanced radiological imaging.
Brand decisions
1988
Absorb Massiot Philips into PhilipsM&ABackground
The Philips-affiliated successor no longer operated as an independent Massiot business.
Action taken
Philips absorbed Massiot Philips into the wider Philips Company.
Aftermath
The Radiguet and Massiot corporate identities ceased to exist as independent operating brands.
1960
Accept Philips Medical Systems investmentM&ABackground
Massiot & Cie had become an established radiological-equipment business but was entering an era of increasing concentration in medical technology.
Action taken
Philips Medical Systems acquired a stake and the company was renamed Massiot Philips.
Aftermath
The successor business was ultimately absorbed into Philips in 1988.
1910
Adopt the Massiot & Cie identity and relocateStrategyBackground
Following the Radiguet–Massiot transition and the integration of Molteni, the successor business reorganized its operations.
Action taken
The company changed its name to Massiot & Cie and moved from Paris to Courbevoie.
Aftermath
The Massiot identity remained in use through the firm's major twentieth-century radiology developments.
1899
Create the Radiguet & Massiot partnershipStrategyBackground
Arthur Radiguet sought to extend the family business while broadening its technical and commercial reach.
Action taken
He entered into partnership with his son-in-law Georges Massiot, after which the firm operated as Radiguet & Massiot.
Aftermath
The business absorbed Molteni, moved to a larger workshop, and developed into a significant radiological-equipment manufacturer.
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