History: This is the most reknowed and known US lens maker of the early photographic era. Harrison started to make photographic lenses as early as the 1840ies and was probably the first to manufacture lenses outside of europe at that time. He adopted the portrait petzval layout and manufactured lenses throughout the 1860ies. This specimen is a fine example of his workmanship. Lenses made by Harrison rarely show up on the free market especially here in europe.

The engraving reads:

'6310 - C.C. Harrison - New York'

That dates the lens in the early to late 1850ies / early 1860ies.

Condition: This small beauty came in a very sad condition to me and i did many(!) hours recovering the built quality that Harrison is known for. The brass now shows its golden laquere again and is protected for the years to come. The radial drive, as so often, is missing, but this is rather a cosmetic then functional issue. The glass  comes in a good condition, there are quite some cleaning marks there and also a hint of edge seperation. The image on the ground glass i great with a sharp center and a nice bokeh in the background.

With its fast open aperture of F4 and a focal lengh of 160mm (or 6.3"), this lens will work for 4x5 formats best, showing some fine character on portrait range.


It comes with a flange.



height: 12.5cm
width: 5.5cm
weight: 550gr

Insured and tracked shipping cost:

Germany - 20 eur
EU* - 40 eur
Worldwide - 80 eur

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.