Wilhelm Friedrich Lingke (1784-1867) was a mathematical instrument maker in Freiburg, Saxony. August Friedrich Lingke (1811-1874) studied at Freiburg University and then worked for his father, before taking charge of the business in 1859, and trading as August Lingke & Co. Max Hildebrand purchased the firm in 1873, but kept the old name until 1889. The Royal School of Mines in Freiburg attracted many students, foreign as well as German, and many of these students purchased Lingke surveying instruments.
Ref: J. B. Te Pas, “Max Hildebrand, late August Lingke & Co. G.m.b.H.,” Bulletin of the Scientific Instrument Society 58 (1998): 19-21.
