Brass Plaque on back of my Leica Camera

[lmans]

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I have a Leica Model 11 which per the serial number was made in 1932. It has distance in metric so I assume it was made for Germans. My older Leica 1 Model A has both feet and metric distance so for English speakers, so try assumption that this camera was meant to stay in Europe and the metric system.

On the back of the camera is a brass Plaque which is engraved. From what I understand from my experiences with cameras, that engraving most likely is from the camera store/ studio where the camera was purchased or repaired. My camera reads the following on the back on 4 lines:

 

Ballin & Rabe

Halle S

Preussenring 14 Handelstr 1.

Delitzscherstr. 94

 

I know that Delitzscherstr is from Leipzig from what I can figure out.  The photographer / studio/ shop might have belonged to the famous German Photographer Hans Ballin who had a studio in Berlin but also photographed in Leipzig. He had a very controversial image entered into a Nazi Party magazine of a baby who was supposed to have represented the best of the Aryan race. But as a joke, Ballin submitted a photograph in the 1930's of a baby jewish girl. He actually won the contest, unbeknown to the 'party in charge'.... The baby was from Leipzig, which is why I figured that some of the information on the plaque pertains to that city. The Second name on the first line reads Rabe and I am not too sure of that although both Rabe and Ballin are Jewish names. 

I don't know about Halle S (The Second line)This might pertain to Halle on the Salle River? or maybe the name of the camera shop ? 

Preussenring 14 Handelstr 1.  This is the third line. It might be an address since Handelstr ends in str and str is abbreviated for street?  From what I understand, the RING in Preussenring 14 might be a street build over an old city wall. When they tore down walls and just had a street, Germans would add the RING to the name of the street for some reason. 

The fourth line reads Delitzscherstr. 94      Delitzscher is a street located in Leipzig, so chances are this is Delitzscher Street and 94 is the number of it. So it might have been the studio or store location where the camera was bought/repaired.  

Now as a thought,  it might be that these are three separate studio addresses. That would make sense since the 'str' in back of Handelstr and Delitzscherstr do represent the name of a street, and the number after is house/office number on that street. The Preussenring is a street build over a demolished city wall and it also has a number after it. So three different streets and three different numbers. 

Anyhow else care to add to this? 

 

Thanks.... Jim

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Edited Wednesday at 06:47 PM by lmans

[Giuliobigazzi]

Looks like it was a camera retailer in Halle(Saale)

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[lmans]

Wow....nice job..... nice.  And Halle is next to Leipzig....30 miles down the road. .... Now we have that part solved. Where did you dig up that winner!!!! ? 

Photo observer.... = Foto Beobachter

 

Doing more googling....it appears it was a camera shop in existence between 1911 and 1950..... https://www.deutsche-digitale-bibliothek.de/item/SUT2PDLG4C5XSXZQLCS7YQK3D2WSHOTP?lang=en

 

Edited Wednesday at 07:27 PM by lmans

[SpotmaticSP]

Have you e-mailed classicstore.wetzlar@leica-camera.com to inquire them about your serial number? Also send them a photo and tell them about the camera and the shop on the brass plaque. Hopefully they can tell you if the camera was originally delivered to that shop. I have gotten that info from them for all of my older Leicas.

[lmans]

No, but I will! Jim

[lmans]

Now a few more things I googled and all have something to do with Halle S (Salle), which is outside of Leipzig 20-30 miles. And considering that the photographer Ballon was known to have taken a picture of a girl living in Leipzig, that brings this pretty close. 

There is a Delitzscher Street in Halle. There is / was a Preussenring street as evident by attached photo showing this, dating back to 1935.

And although there is no Handel Street, there is a Handel Hall, which is part of a university it would appear, so if there is a building named after Handel, there might at one time been a street but either WW11 erased some of these or, city progress/growth eliminated some. 

I would say the mystery is getting solved. I did write Classicstore.wetzlar and will see what they can find about camera based up the serial number which dates it back to 1932 year of manufactured.

 

 

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Edited Wednesday at 08:32 PM by lmans

[willeica]

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This has the Preussenuring 14 address. 

German speakers might be able to make more of this. 

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William 

 

[lmans]

This is a translation of the letter above .....

Ballin & Rabe, Photo-Kino-Spez.-Haus, Halle/Saale, Preussenring 14. January 2, 1930. Our Rep. No. R 48360. Seen on December 18: Two 13x18 cm wooden double cassettes from Professor Karo, Halle, Universitätsplatz 12. As we informed you by phone on Tuesday, we handed over the two 13x18 cm wooden double cassettes that you sent to our scientific department for detailed examination. The cassettes were initially exposed to light for several days—loaded with plates—and yet no reduced light penetration was detectable. The mounting of the cassettes and the materials used were found to be perfectly satisfactory. The light phenomena are certainly due to chemical influences, which occur when the plates have been stored in the cassettes for an extended period of time. Since we found the cassettes submitted to be free of defects, we sent them to the Archaeological Institute of the German Empire, Berlin W 8, Wilhelmstrasse 92/3, for forwarding to Professor Wrede.

 

IT would appear that it was some type of photography for the Archaeological institute. Professor Wrede was an expert in Greece etc..... and eventually ended up in Athens but that was way after the 1930 date on this letter. 

That size for the wooden cassettes (or perhaps film backs as we know them today) in cm would equal to 5x7 inches….a common size for medium format camera. They may have been using the cassettes to store negatives of photographs they took of archaeological findings. I am surprised they used wooden and not tin backings. Sounds very Temple of Doom. Maybe Indiana Jones.

Anyhow...that has nothing to do with the camera and the brass plaque but it is interesting. All of it somehow connects to the theme and the history of the camera although on an off-shoot....   Appreciate the postings .... 

Edited 10 hours ago by lmans