History: A very early Portrait Petzval made by one of the most famous optical makers of all times. The engraving on the lens reads:

'No 4.023 - Voigtländer & Sohn - in Wien und Braunschweig'

Looking up the serial number, you will find that the lens was made in the very early year 1852. At that time Voigtländer did just move from Vienna to Braunschweig Germany. He was famous for beeing the first optical manufacturer to introduce the Portrait Petzval lens to the photographic community. Just a couple of months after Frederic Scott Archer introduced the wetplate proccess to the photographic community this very lens was made and sold.

There are probably only a handfull of lenses from that year left in the world, so dont miss the chance to own yourself.

Condition: the lens is in a nice and authentic condition. The brass of the lens comes with a warm golden tone, which shows light wear.  The lens was carefully cleaned and not polished to leave the patina intact but still seal it for future decades. The lens was made before the waterhouse era (1858), but it was retrofitted with a waterhouse slot later on (a service that was mostly done by Voigtländer themselves), and there is even a fitting stop included. The glass is in a great condition, it shows a minimal cleaning marks and specs here and there but is overall crispy clear.

This lens has about 290mm focal lenght (11.5") and an open aperture of F3.6. It will work best for 5x7 and 8x10 format with a nice petzval character especially at portrait distance. But be carefull since this is a very early lens, it still might have chemical focus.

Lens comes with a fitting flange, waterhouse stop and a very nice wooden lenscap!

height: 21cm
width: 9.5cm
weight: 1900gr

Insured and tracked shipping cost:

Germany - 20 eur
EU* - 60 eur
Worldwide - 120 eur

*(the site offers only 2 shipping variations, DE and worldwide. buyers from EU please either contact me beforehand for a reduced EU cost, or after buying so i can send a refund over the difference)

Importent Note: This item comes from my private collection and is around 100 years old (antique). I try my best to describe all the faults and major damage which are relevant for the function of this item. But the actuall item can show signs of wear and also some cosmetic blemishes/damage which is not described in the auction text! When buying this item the buyer agrees to this terms.