Voigtländer Daguerreotype Lens

Voigtländer Daguerreotype Lens 1

Material/Specs: Brass housing, ground crown and flint glass elements.

Context & Provenance

When It Was Found (Creation Context)

Acquired in a lot of estate equipment from a defunct German photographic studio in 1995.

Country & Location of Origin

Brunswick, Germany

Real History & Interpretation

As photography moved from scientific novelty to art form, lens quality became paramount. This lens, manufactured by Voigtländer, provided a significantly sharper and flatter image field than earlier simple meniscus lenses, pushing the boundaries of Daguerreian sharpness.

Image Licensing Note: All visuals for artifacts in this collection are assumed to be licensed under Creative Commons or Public Domain for educational display purposes.