History: This absolute nice piece of photographic history comes from the early 1860s. The lens is an early version of the Derogy Portrait series. It is engraved with:

'No 13172 - Derogy Fab - Brevete - Paris & Londres'

which hints, that it was made for the export (either British or US) market.

Condition: The brass looks really nice and authentic here, there is some wear here and there but also a fantastic and preserved patina. The rack & pinion mechanism is complete and working smoothly. The lens is an early 1860s version and doesnt feature a waterhouse slot. The glass is clean and shows only minor cleaning marks, that will not affect image quality at all.

The lens has a focal lenght of 180mm at a speed of F3.5. It will cover 4x5 and even 5x7 format at portrait distance with distinct petzval characteristic on the ground glass.


Lens comes with a wooden flange. Its not as nice as the original brass one, but it will hold the lens tight when screwed on properly.



height: 14cm
width: 7cm
weight: 900gr

Insured and tracked shipping cost:


EU* - 30 eur
Worldwide - 80 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.