Based in High Holborn, London, England George Adams were machine-tool dealers who also commissioned various manufactures, in the UK and Europe, to make machine on their behalf - but with some being copies, not originals, of existing designs by Lorch, G.Boley, Wolf Jahn and Portass. The company sold a wide variety of lathes (and associated tooling) and were best known for their small machines aimed at watch and instrument makers. However, Adams had strong connections with Germany and was, for many years, the representative in the UK for Pittler and also sold larger lathes almost certainly manufactured by Oscar Ehrlich - a well known and long-established lathe manufacture with premises at Chemnitz. George Adams was eventually incorporated into Tyzack & Son, well known in the 1930s for the extensive mail-order tool and machinery catalogues.
Shown below is a 4.75" x 20" pedestal mounted lathe - looking very much like an early Ehrlich - that shows, in the context of its era, evidence of thoughtful design and attention to detail. Also found in Europe badged as an Aster, it had a heavy, cast-iron pedestal that doubled as the treadle support, the changewheels being stacked neatly within it. Because the bed was of cantilever form, it should have been free from distortion when clamped to its base support. The lathe was fitted with a 16" capacity gap, a 0.9" hole through the headstock spindle, tumble reverse, backgear, split clasp nuts on the apron, a set-over tailstock with a proper barrel clamp (rather than the "split" casting then so common) -  and, one final clue to the lathe's quality, an oil reservoir and dipper rod fitted to the tailstock - so there was no excuse for not lubricating (usually with poisonous white lead not oil) the "back centre" as it was then known. The artist (or engraver) of the picture seems to have limited the top slide to a rather meagre range of travel, in reality it was rather longer than illustrated.