THE UR-LEICA VISITS AMERICA
In the spring of 1914 Ernst Leitz II visited America. He carried an UR-Leica. Giani Rogliatti refers to this event on page15 of his 1995 book Leica-the First 70 Years. The 2017 publication Oskar Barnack – From the Idea to the Leica by Ulf Richter contains 1914 photos taken by Ernst Leitz II with an UR-Leica. Street scenes of New York City are on pages 60-61. This is the first time the UR-Leica came to America.
After the Second World War the 100th Anniversary of Ernst Leitz Wetzlar was acknowledged in the Summer 1949 issue of Leica Photography. The UR-Leica and null series camera 119 were photographed with view camera at a NYC studio. The latest IIIc was included in several views. This represents the second UR-Leica visit.
The 1978 LHSA Annual Meeting in Indianapolis featured Dr. G. Wangorsch the Director of the Leitz Wetzlar Museum. Various artifacts were shown to LHSA members attending. The UR-Leica was one of them. I photographed it with extreme care doing my best to conceal my nervousness. When it was removed from what looked like a gym bag and handed to me I remember muttering something like Oh My God! The Leica IV and 75 soon followed. Dr. Wangorsch had said he would bring something interesting. I had no knowledge the UR-Leica was included. This is the third visit to America.
The illustrations show the 1949 Leica Photography material. One of my 1978 photos shows a rear view of the UR-Leica with the Leitz condensor logo .In 1988 I “met“ the UR-Leica at Wetzlar. This time it was equipped with a reproduction of an early viewfinder.
Today the UR-Leica is secured by Leica Germany. In my opinion it is unlikely it will ‘visit” America again.
Leica IIIc and UR-Leica
Cover of 1949 Leica Photography Summer Issue