Zeiss Loupe History

BobUK · Mar 26, 2023

Amongst a parcel of photography bits and pieces I purchased a few years ago was a Zeiss Loupe.
I have trawled the internet for any information but, nothing to be found.
I believe people collect loupes so hopefully one may be a member here and can give me some history about my loupe.

In very small engraving it has the following around the lens.

Carl Zeiss Jena.
3955

Anastigmat.

Lupe Vergr. = 20 or Lupe Vergn = 20 (The letter r may be badly stamped.)

The only Zeiss loupes that I have managed to find are plastic framed and exorbitantly priced for what they are.

Thank you from Bob.

BrianShaw · Mar 26, 2023

A very nice diamond loupe. You might ask an elderly jeweler and get a good answer.

JensH · Mar 26, 2023

Hi Bob,

your loupe (nice one btw..., a "Anastigmatische Einschlaglupe") is listed here:
See page 5...
https://www.amuseum.de/mikroskopie/Anleitungen/ZeissJena_opt_Instr_Metall_small.pdf

3955 is the serial no. on yours.
It is a 20x, so Vergr. 20 (Vergr. = Vergrößerung = enlargement).
Should be made in the 1920s or 1930s.

In my 1934 microscope catalog it is listed as type 116031.
It was quite expensive, selling for 27 RM, a Rolleiflex Standard 3.8 was 188 RM those days.

Best
Jens

Mick Fagan · Mar 26, 2023

The Optical museum in Jena is one of the most interesting museums I have ever had the pleasure of visiting. It has gone through a few name changes since I visited in 1994, but that shouldn't stop you from seeing some incredible optical history if ever you are in the vicinity.

When I visited in 1994 I was having dinner with the local paper opened on an interesting article; and with my little pocket book German-English dictionary I was trying to understand the article which was about the problems Jena as a whole was undergoing at that time. People at the adjoining table offered to help with the translation to English and it was this article which showed me some of the real problems the local people endured. It turned out that there were approximately 5,000 people with PhD's in Jena that were unemployed because of the reunification of Germany.

Jens, that is quite an incredible price for a loupe, but German quality has never been cheap. Having worked in the graphic arts in Australia, I have used these loupes and often wondered about the vergr inscription. Knowing that Vergrößerung also means enlarger in the darkroom, I should have twigged, but I didn't.

BAC1967 · Mar 26, 2023

When I was studying Geology in college we always had one hanging around our neck while doing field work. Of course, as a poor starving college student I didn’t have a Zeiss, mine was a Japanese model. I still have two of them.

JensH · Mar 26, 2023

Mick Fagan said:
The Optical museum in Jena is one of the most interesting museums I have ever had the pleasure of visiting. It has gone through a few name changes since I visited in 1994, but that shouldn't stop you from seeing some incredible optical history if ever you are in the vicinity.
...

Jens, that is quite an incredible price for a loupe, but German quality has never been cheap. Having worked in the graphic arts in Australia, I have used these loupes and often wondered about the vergr inscription. Knowing that Vergrößerung also means enlarger in the darkroom, I should have twigged, but I didn't.

Hi Mick,

well, the Zeiss museum in Jena is still on my wishlist.
I once saw a smaller exhibition at Zeiss in Oberkochen (West Germany) before 1990... it was impressive to see a Hologon in person.

These loupes are nice, there was even a 10x+20x double one.
I only have a 1930s Zeiss Jena 6x ground glass loupe here. Not as sophisticated as their Apl. or anastigmats. Just nice and practical.

Vergrößerung has a double meaning in german:
- the enlargement factor and
- the enlarged (paper) image.
An enlarger is a Vergrößerer...

Best wishes
Jens

Mick Fagan · Mar 28, 2023

Jens, thanks for the clarification, it all makes sense now.

Just to whet your appetite a little, this is the booklet I purchased when at the museum, which I now realise was 29 years ago.

The most unbelievable bit of optical work and machinery I saw was the nine eyed Ophthalmic viewer.

The museum was quite small, but the depth of knowledge and manufacturing capability of just some of the things shown, was mind blowing.

BobUK · Mar 31, 2023

Many thanks to you all.
It is amazing the collective knowledge here.

Bob

cowanw · Mar 31, 2023

Mick Fagan said:
The Optical museum in Jena is one of the most interesting museums I have ever had the pleasure of visiting. It has gone through a few name changes since I visited in 1994, but that shouldn't stop you from seeing some incredible optical history if ever you are in the vicinity.

When I visited in 1994 I was having dinner with the local paper opened on an interesting article; and with my little pocket book German-English dictionary I was trying to understand the article which was about the problems Jena as a whole was undergoing at that time. People at the adjoining table offered to help with the translation to English and it was this article which showed me some of the real problems the local people endured. It turned out that there were approximately 5,000 people with PhD's in Jena that were unemployed because of the reunification of Germany.

Jens, that is quite an incredible price for a loupe, but German quality has never been cheap. Having worked in the graphic arts in Australia, I have used these loupes and often wondered about the vergr inscription. Knowing that Vergrößerung also means enlarger in the darkroom, I should have twigged, but I didn't.

We were there in 1990, and I looked for the Zeiss museum then. At the time it was somewhere around the centre of town near the city hall. We drove around and around and could not find it, so we asked. The first person we asked was also a tourist; the second, a nun said this was the first time out of the nunnery in 15 years. The third was a middle aged man at a bus stop and he burst into tears, He had been one of the laid off- He directed us to the factory out of town which we drove right into, no closed gates, no guards, no body- also no museum. We drove back to town and finally found it in the basement of city hall- three little rooms mocked up like a nineteenth century lab and office!
I guess things changed before 1994.
It was a real shake up of society when the state sponsored businesses shut down.
My Zeisss loupe story is a finder 1251 that functioned perfectly but was a piece for something else, a Contaprox 1

BobUK · Aug 11, 2023

Just looking again at the loupe.
A little late in the day, but a big thank you to all that helped me out.

THANK YOU ALL

Mick Fagan · Aug 12, 2023

Not a problem, glad we could help.

Zeiss Loupe History

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