It was auctioned in Vienna and belonged to Oskar Barnack, the inventor of the legendary compact camera that changed the history of photography
The estimated price was between one and three million euros, but in the end 14.4 million was paid for a 1923 Leica camera that has become the most expensive in history. It is one of 23 prototypes in the original series, produced by Leitz Camera, the company founded and chaired by Ernst Leitz between 1923 and 1924, and which belonged to its inventor, Oscar Barnack. It is one of the first 35-millimeter cameras in the world and the origin of a legendary and decisive brand for modern photography.
The Leicas were produced in series from 1924, but the Leitz company previously only produced 23 copies of the prototype of the series 0. One of these was the prize awarded last Saturday in Vienna at the annual auction of the brand, which set all records. broken. The previous record was held by another Series 0 camera that sold for €2.8 million in 2018.
The model auctioned in Vienna, camera number 105 of the 0 series, is very special because it belonged to Oskar Barnack, a German inventor and photographer who built the first 35 millimeter camera, later called Leica, at the Leitz factory in Germany. town of Wetzler. The name of the inventor, who perfected his studies to develop later models, is engraved on the top of the visor.
Barnack, an engineer at the Leitz company, suffered from asthma, so he began reducing the size and weight of cameras to make outdoor photography easier. Considered the father of 35-millimeter negative photography, shortly before World War I, Barnack designed a model called Lilliput, a precursor to the future Leica, a mythical brand whose name is an anagram of Leitz and Camera and which traces the history of the photography would change photo from 1924.
Almost a century old, painted black and with that patina that gives it years of use, the camera is very well preserved. The lot included an original leather lens cap and aluminum rear cap with the initials ‘OB’ embossed, as well as the Neteller camera Barnack used for his photographic research and documents and letters about the prototype.
Barnack used his legendary camera until 1930, when he gave it to his son Conrad and he started using a Leica I Model C with interchangeable lenses. The prototype remained in the hands of the maker’s family until 1960, when it was sold to an American collector.
Only a dozen prototypes from the original series have survived to this day, which is why they are extremely rare, expensive and considered gems by avid collectors.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
