DAY 102

HISTORY OF PHOTOGRAPHY

Oskar Barnack and the Leica

CAMERAS GET REALLY HANDY

German Oskar Barnack set out to become a painter, but after an apprenticeship to a maker of mechanical devices, he became fascinated with technical instruments and, eventually, photography. He worked as a toolmaker, specializing in precision mechanics and optical equipment before going to work for a maker of scientific instruments. He worked in the experimental department of the firm of E. Leitz, where he developed highly precise machines for use in complex manufacturing.

In 1905, Barnack created a way to put 15 to 20 pictures on a single negative with the idea that they could be enlarged into photographs at a later time. In 1914 his idea came full circle when he created a tiny, single-shutter speed camera that used 35mm motion-picture film. This camera was the Ur-Leica—the first successful small-format camera. The pictures it took were of the highest quality of any camera yet.

World War I hampered the commercial development of the Leica, but Barnack continued to tinker with and improve upon his original design. The Leica was formally introduced to the public in 1925, and by the outbreak of World War II it was the camera of choice for professionals and amateurs alike. Andre Kertesz and Henri Cartier-Bresson were Leica users, and it remained wildly popular for decades. Barnack spent the rest of his life further refining and improving the original camera, ultimately creating numerous models and thousands of accessories. —DJG