ORIGINAL JULY 1 1906 BAUSCH & LOMB OPTICAL CO. LENSES/SHUTTER CATALOG

Pricing & History

Sold for
Start Free Trial or Sign In to see what it's worth.
Sold Date
Source eBay

John Jacob Bausch (1830-1926) was born in Germany and at the age of eighteen moved to Bern, Switzerland where he found work in an optical shop designing camera lenses. The following year he immigrated to the US and settled in Rochester, NY. In 1853, Bausch opened a retail optical shop selling spectacles, thermometers, field glasses, magnifiers and opera glasses. His friend Henry Lomb who immigrated in 1849 invested his savings in Bausch’s shop and in 1855 became his partner. While walking in New York City he found a piece of Vulcanite Rubber and discovered he could make eyeglass frames from the material. At the time frames were made mainly from gold or European horn. In 1850, the Bausch & Lomb company built the first machine in America to produce spectacles. During the American Civil War, the blockade caused the price of gold and horn to rise dramatically resulting in a growing demand for their Vulcanite spectacles. In 1874, the company produced their first compound microscope and won an award at the 1876 Philadelphia Centennial Exposition. The company started producing photographic lenses around 1883, shutters around 1888 and binoculars and telescopes in 1893. By the turn of the century, Bausch & Lomb was the leading producer of microscopes in the US and third largest in the world after Leitz and Zeiss. This July 1 1906 catalog is titled on the cover Bausch & Lomb Lenses Aids to Artistic Aims. It is in good condition as pictured measuring 4 ½” X 5 ¾” and has 32 pages. The first page is more specific titled The Anastigmat Lens as an aid to Artistic Photography and lists their 5 US branch office locations as well as London and Frankfurt. The Anastigmat lens discussed on pages 3-5 was designed to correct astigmatism present in Rectilinear or Symmetrical lenses particularly at large apertures. It states the formula for all the Anastigmats in this catalog but one have been computed by scientific experts in the Carl Zeiss Works at Jena where the first Anastigmat lens was invented. It further states Bausch & Lomb was the sole licensee for the production of these celebrated lenses in America. The lenses/shutter covered in detail in this catalog including applications and testimonials include: B & L – Zeiss Unar f=4.5 Series Ib B & L – Zeiss Tessar f=6.3 Series IIb B & L – Zeiss Convertible Protar f=6.3 Series VIIa B & L – Zeiss Convertible Protars “C” Set. B & L Plastigmat f=6.8 B & L Volute Shutter The lens summary on page 27-31 briefly describes the leading characteristics of each lens. The Volute shutter references the proper place for the shutter is at the diaphragm point and that the Volute represents the highest type of diaphragm shutter. These lenses and the Volute shutter were offered as options by camera manufacturers like Eastman Kodak to meet the needs of the more advanced photographer. They were expensive compared to the standard lens/shutter. For example the price in 1907 for the No. 4 Cartridge Kodak with standard B & L Rapid Rectilinear Lens and B & L Unicum shutter was $35. In this same year the price for the No. 4 Cartridge Kodak with the B & L Plastigmat f=6.8/ B & L Volute shutter was $77.25 and the B & L – Zeiss Tessar f=6.3 Series IIb/B & L Volute combination was $83.25. This is nearly 2 ½ times the price of the standard lens/shutter combination giving some idea as to the cost/value placed on these very high quality components. If you collect early US photographic catalogs and lens/shutter documents, this is ideal for your collection. This catalog represents the best source of period information on this equipment. Shipping cost will be based on packaged size, weight, location, method and insurance. read more

Items in the Price Guide are obtained exclusively from licensors and partners solely for our members’ research needs.

Flag item for content or copyright

If this item contains incorrect or inappropriate information please contact us here to flag it for review.

If you are the originator/copyright holder of this photo/item and would prefer it be excluded from our community, contact us here for removal.