History: The lens is engraved with:

'A. Thompson & Co - Importers - Boston'

A. Thompson was one of the major Darlot importers for the US market back then. So in reality this is a Darlot lens, rebranded with the Thompson name on it. It was a common practice in the 1860-80s.

The focal lenght is about 350mm (or around 14") and the open aperture is around F4.2. It will work best for 8x10 and 10x12 format with a destinctive petzval character in the outer region.


Condition: The lens comes in a great condition. The brass and the nickel plated tube look nice and shows a fantastic patina. The rack & pinion is complete and moving smoothly. The glass is in great condition, there are only very few cleaning marks, which is rather unusuall for such an old lens. There is no haze, fungus or anything that would affect the image quality.


It comes with a flange.

height: 20cm
width: 10cm
weight: 2200gr

Insured and tracked shipping cost:

Germany - 10 eur
EU* - 30 eur
Worldwide - 90 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.