Wednesday, August 15, 2012

IS THIS THE OTHER UR-LEICA?




We have seen pictures of the Ur-Leica on numerous occasions, as a matter of fact, it has become quite familiar to many of us.  We also know that this is the camera that Oskar Barnack gave to Ernst Leitz I.  We also know of a second, identical model, which is the one that Barnack used himself.  It had been in the possession of his son, who ultimately sold it and all traced seem to be lost.  However, it is assumed that this camera resides these days in an unidentified collection.

Today I came across a picture of a camera that obviously is the, or should I say, a Ur-Leica.  At first glance it looks identical, but upon closer inspection, the camera is different.  The most visible difference is the bare spots on the upper left side of the camera, where the original black paint is chipped off.  In addition, there are several other cosmetic differences.

We know that the Ur-Leica that is in possession of the Leica Camera AG has never been restored.  On the other hand, this could possibly be a photograph of the same camera from earlier days.

There was no information that accompanied the picture I came across today, but it is intriguing to compare pictures.  It is definitely not a picture of one of the replica Ur-Leicas.  This photograph was made prior to 1952.  One cannot help but wonder if we are looking at the two original Ur-Leica cameras.

The other Ur-Leica?

A picture of the known Ur-Leica from a similar angle.
Note the worn off , chipped paint


Additional pictures of the Ur-Leica for comparison


Postscript 4-07-2013

This article was written, based on the published information regarding the development of the Leica.  Further research has shown that this generally accepted and published information contains several mistakes.  These are pointed out and corrected in the following article:

THE REVISED HISTORY OF THE LEICA





10 comments:

  1. I am not a Leica collector and know little about this topic. Is this a big deal?

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  2. Yes, it is a big deal. The second Ur-Leica (prototype) has not been seen since shortly after WWII. To have at least a possible picture of it is indeed quite fascinating. It is assumed that this camera resides in an unnamed collection. Considering that one of the preproduction models of the Leica recently was recently bought at an auction for almost 3 million dollars, one can only guess how much the second prototype might bring. For Leica collectors, finding this camera would be the equivalent of finding an original Gutenberg bible, a second model of the original Benz car (the first car ever), or something of similar rarity.

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  3. Most interestingly, I note both 1 and 2 have made the same no. of exposures.

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    1. I think that is a coincidence. If you look closely at the position of the screws at the front of the camera body, they are different as is the focus position of the lens. I also noticed two screws protruding from the top of the camera's left side. These are not visible in any of the pictures of the known Ur-Leica.

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    2. I should also mention that the counter position on the two color pictures of the known Ur-Leica are different. People obviously are releasing the shutter and winding the camera, as I have done at the two occasions when I was able to hold the Ur-Leica in my own hands.

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  4. I thought the Ur-Leica is tucked away in a safe somewhere. It isn't even shown in the Leica museum. How were you able to actually hold it, twice at that?

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  5. Yes, the Ur-Leica is tucked away in a safe. But that is relatively recent. It used to be on permanent display in the Leica Museum. The time when I was able to handle it was 30+ years ago at two LHSA meetings, one in Indianapolis and one in Nashville if I remember correctly. As I mentioned already, the first time it was brought by Rolf Fricke, and the other time by Dr. Wangorsch who used to be the curator of the Leica museum. The camera is not in operating condition. You can wind it and fire it, but the shutter is not operating properly.

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  6. Who is Rolf Fricke?

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  7. Rolf Fricke is the co-founder and President Emeritus of the LHSA, The International Leica Society (previously named Leica Historical society of america) and a former Marketing Communications Director of the Kodak Professional Photography Division.

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    1. Rolf Fricke is also the author of the LEICA Barnack Berek Blog article "ONE HUNDRED YELLOW CANDLES" http://gmpphoto.blogspot.com/2012/04/one-hundred-yellow-candles.html

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