Leica archives: information about my collection

[nf3996]

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Interested in the origins of my small Leica collection (five Barnack bodies, an M2, and eight LTM lenses), I recently e-mailed Leica archives (info@leica-camera.com) with the various serial numbers to see what they could tell me. Of the 14 items, Leica were able to inform me of the initial delivery date of all of them – not always the same as the year of production – and where four of them began their photographic lives.

I now know that my Leica I (Model A) was delivered to Jerusalem in November 1930; my Leica II (Model D) started out in Cairo in February 1933; one of my 5cm Elmars was delivered to London in September 1938; and my 3.5cm Summaron reached Beirut in October 1955. I also know that my Leica III and another 5cm Elmar that I bought together both share the same delivery date – 1 August 1933 – so I suspect they have spent all their lives together.

With their widespread origins, I’d be fascinated to know what scenes these cameras and lenses have recorded over the last 90 years or so ...

Alan

[willeica]

34 minutes ago, nf3996 said:

Interested in the origins of my small Leica collection (five Barnack bodies, an M2, and eight LTM lenses), I recently e-mailed Leica archives (info@leica-camera.com) with the various serial numbers to see what they could tell me. Of the 14 items, Leica were able to inform me of the initial delivery date of all of them – not always the same as the year of production – and where four of them began their photographic lives.

I now know that my Leica I (Model A) was delivered to Jerusalem in November 1930; my Leica II (Model D) started out in Cairo in February 1933; one of my 5cm Elmars was delivered to London in September 1938; and my 3.5cm Summaron reached Beirut in October 1955. I also know that my Leica III and another 5cm Elmar that I bought together both share the same delivery date – 1 August 1933 – so I suspect they have spent all their lives together.

With their widespread origins, I’d be fascinated to know what scenes these cameras and lenses have recorded over the last 90 years or so ...

 

Alan

 I'm glad to hear that. I will be in Wetzlar at the end of this month and I will look at what they have in the Archives. As I understand it, they have a 'look up' system based on the serial numbers. What they provide now are just the original delivery details and not anything subsequent. At one time they provided details of return visits to Wetzlar for repairs and modifications, but they do not do this anymore.

Finding out where your camera was over a long period of time is very difficult unless you are very lucky. In the case of one of my cameras, a IIIa from 1935, the first owner had written details in Swedish of photographs taken in April, May and June 1935, presumably with the same camera, inside a box which I got with the camera. The camera was delivered to Leitz Berlin in 1935. It seems that photos were taken in Germany, Great Britain, Belgium and Sweden during that period and it also seems that the owner was interested in botany.  According to the writing in the box, the owner was present at the 200th anniversary of the publication of the 'System of Nature' by the Swedish Botanist, Carl Linnaeus, on 2nd June 1935. I have a photograph of the Crown Prince of Sweden taken at that event by a Swedish botanist. Given that the owner of my camera seems to have been interested in botany it is possible that he was the botanist in question.

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I should add that the IIIa came with a sticker from an Estonian auctioneer, but I bought it from Stockholm. It also had a lens cleaning cloth in its case from an optician in Gothenburg. I hope this all makes sense.

The point here is that of the very many vintage Leicas which I have, only this one came with such details. You have to be lucky, I suppose.

I have a memory of reading an article about a famous street photographer in Israel who used a I Model A for many years. It had no paint and it seems to have been chromed at one point. It also had a leaky shutter as well as some modifications to the body.

William

[sandro]

So wonderful to read where our camera's and lenses have been! And how great it is that we can find out about it!

Lex

[tranquilo67]

Hi,

To track a bit the life of our old Leica's it's one of the aspects that I love as well as to put in their Historical context. Most of the people in this forum already know it (in fact many of them actively contributed to it) but just in case you haven't seen, here you have it: https://tertuliadelmanuela.wordpress.com/2018/07/03/the-history-of-a-lens/

In other cases you're just able to trace "some moments" of it. My 397305 was delivered to "Head of the French commerce office" (probably gifted) in 1946 under order, and it could be as an early sign of post war German-French economic cooperation. It's well known the active role of Elsie Kühn-Leitz on that early cooperation. The camera (together with its lens) reappeared 16 years later to be sold in Paris. Despite my efforts I've been unable to track if further (at least by now but the research is still open ).

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I have an article, pending to be published, about wartime Spanish Embassy Leica's (quite unusual due to Spain was not part of the Axis forces) etc.

So yes, it's fascinating.

Best wishes,

Augusto