| A neat,
if unremarkable 120 roll film camera from the very end of the
1920s. Nagel had a brief existence between 1928 and 1932 when
it was bought out by Kodak. Its founder Dr. August Nagel had
originally been employed by Contessa Nettel and subsequently
Zeiss Ikon following their acquisition of that company. He left
to form his own firm in 1928 but sold the plant to Kodak in 1932,
Nagel was retained and the factory continued to make Nagel cameras
under his name for a while, in 1934 Kodak used the factory to
produce the the famous Retina, by which time the Nagel marque
was no more. It seems likely he must have been a bit of a character
as this story is repeated in several places...and we have repeated
it here for good measure. It may be pushing the boundaries of
psycho-analysis, but he may have been a little insecure.... as
this camera sports no fewer than 6 highly visible Nagel logos
stamped into it's various components, a feature that complicated
the restoration of this camera by heaps. Maybe he just felt he
had a point to prove to his ex-employer? |
|
Various dates have been
published for the Librette, but a contemporary advert definitely
dates it before 1931, and the text hints at earlier models. |
Our Librette was donated in Dec.
2004 by Mrs M.L South and was in the most appalling condition,
having suffered major water damage. The poor thing was way past
the point of no return and it was even useless as a paperweight
as it would leave a trail of various oxidized metals wherever
it went. The last spool used was still inside suggesting that
the camera had not been used for at least 60 years. An extensive
restoration was required to get it presentable. A more common
camera would have been binned! Construction of the camera is
mixed aluminium side panels with steel body and finished with
gloss black paint both externally and, oddly inside too. Covering
is Morocco leather. This one seems to be a very early example
as it is quite crudely made and lacks features that some sources
indicate as standard, such as rise and fall lensboard.
Its restoration is covered under
Project 2 in the workshop
area
|
