Julius Laack Gazelle Tropical — Rare German Folding Plate Camera — c.1900–1910

CHF 900.00

Item number
00037
Rare tropical folding plate camera by Julius Laack, Rathenow (Brandenburg, Germany), stamped "Gazelle ges. gesch." — one of the most attractive German plate cameras of the early 20th century.
Beautiful tropical construction with polished hardwood body, brass fittings, and brown leather bellows — crafted to withstand tropical climates while maintaining the elegance of fine German precision optics and mechanics.
Fitted with a [Objektiv-Bezeichnung, z.B. Laack Pololyt f/6.8 135mm] lens in [Verschluss, z.B. IBSO / Compur] shutter. Format: [9×12 cm / 13×18 cm] glass plates.
Julius Laack was founded in 1884 in Rathenow, Germany's historic centre of optical manufacturing. The company was renowned for its high-quality lenses — including the Pololyt, Dialytar, and Spezialanastigmat series — and produced over 500,000 lenses before WWII. Laack cameras, particularly the tropical Gazelle models, are highly sought after by collectors of fine German photographica.