Help with ICA lens identification

[adamc]

Dimensions:
5 inches long, 2.5 inches diameter.

Markings:
- "Ica Akt. - Ges. Dresden F = 55 cm"
- small arrow pointing out

I picked this lens up at a swap meet over the weekend, and can't find any information about this thing online. It really pushes the limits of my 5x7, focus at infinity is almost fully extended. Judging from a few tool marks, it looks like the aperture was added at a later date. I've been able to find a bunch of info about cameras made by the ICA Camera company, but nothing about lenses like this.

Can anyone help identify it? Age? What type of camera would have originally come from? Maybe it was a projection lens?


Thanks,
Adam

 

[E. von Hoegh]

Looks like a projection lens.

 

[adamc]

Thanks! An image search for ICA projectors brought up some similar style lenses.
Wow, some of those early projectors were really interesting-looking contraptions.

Thanks again,
Adam