Oskar Barnack’s Personal Camera – the Other Ur-Leica

[gmpphotography]

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Most Leica enthusiast know that the Ur-Leica that is on display (replica) at the Leica museum in Solms is not the camera Oskar Barnack used. It is the other prototype that he made and gave to Ernst Leitz. According to Leica historian Gianni Rogliatti, Barnack’s camera came into the possession of his son whiz operated a grocery store in Munich. For reasons unknown, the camera was given to the Deutsches Museum (German Museum) in Munich during WWII. The camera was returned to Barnack’s son after the war who eventually sold it. Supposedly the camera is now residing in an unknown collection.

I recently obtained a photograph of a Leica prototype from the Deutsches Museum. While at first glance it looks like the Ur-Leica we know, there are some definite differences and it appears that the photograph shows the other, Barnack’s prototype, the one he photographed many of the shots with that many of us are familiar with.

For more info on this go to:

http://gmpphoto.blogspot.com/2013/01/oskar-barnacks-personal-camera-other-ur.html

[luigi bertolotti]

How this compares to the late Van Hasbroeck assertions ? He wrote that the UR Leicas were three, the second being "unknown" and the third (without lens) at factory Museum too (as the first one) ; he quotes as Barnack personal camera the later O series #105 (101 103 104 are known and into collections/museums) , stating that Barnack' son loaned it to Deutshes Museum which gave it back in 1960... then was sold to a private collection. (Van Hasbroeck himself owned the O series # 107... recently sold for 1.3 MEuros....)

[gmpphotography]

How this compares to the late Van Hasbroeck assertions ? He wrote that the UR Leicas were three, the second being "unknown" and the third (without lens) at factory Museum too (as the first one) ; he quotes as Barnack personal camera the later O series #105 (101 103 104 are known and into collections/museums) , stating that Barnack' son loaned it to Deutshes Museum which gave it back in 1960... then was sold to a private collection. (Van Hasbroeck himself owned the O series # 107... recently sold for 1.3 MEuros....)

 

I think Van Hasbroeck assertions are basically the same as mine as far as the two original Ur-Leicas go. The first two are identical with one in the posession of Leica and the other one in an unknown collection. The third Ur-Leica was a further development of the first two. It too is in the collection of the Leica museum.

The purpose of my article was to allow people access to the picture taken by the Deutsches Museum because, as I concluded, it appears to be indeed a picture of the other Ur-Leica.

[DDM]

http://www.l-camera-forum.com/leica-forum/leica-sammler-historica/116303-m-875-a.html#post1233830