Frederick Cox was an optician and philosophical instrument maker and was recorded at working at 100 Newgate Street, London, from 1845 to 1870. He is known to have been at 22 Skinner Street, London, from 1848 and at 26 Ludgate Street, London, by 1867. The business was taken over by H. & E. J. Dale trading as the Ludgate Photographic Stores circa 1883. Cox was the first maker of Thomas Sutton's Panoramic camera and lens in 1860 before that work was transferred to Thomas Ross after Cox experienced difficulties in making the water-filled lens.