8 - Multi-Speed Shutter Company | Simplex Multiexposure First Model

Multi-Speed Shutter Company | Simplex Multiexposure First Model Estimate: €24,000–28,000 Year: 1914 Serial No.: 33058 Condition: B/C English: Important American 35mm camera, manufactured by the Multi-Speed Shutter Company in 1914 and later marketed by Simplex Photo Products Co. The Simplex Multi-Exposure occupies a remarkable place in the history of miniature photography. Introduced more than a decade before the commercial Leica, it was among the very earliest production still cameras designed for standard perforated 35mm cine film and, crucially, for the 24 × 36 mm format that would later become the international standard for 35mm still photography. The camera in question, the first model, is more significant than Model B because it allows you to switch between 24 × 36 mm and 18 × 24 mm for 400 or 800 exposures. It is equipped with a Bausch & Lomb Zeiss Tessar Series Ic 50mm lens, no. 894840, with a dial-set Compur shutter, and retains the two original film spools. It is accompanied by the extremely rare original 16-page Simplex sales brochure, issued by Simplex Photo Products Co., Philadelphia, advertising the camera as the “Simplex 400–800 Multi Exposure” and proclaiming “Ultimate camera efficiency.” Also included is an original 1914 advertisement from Travel magazine. Only approximately 27 examples are believed to have been produced, and only a handful are known to survive. This camera is additionally notable for its detachable, non-collapsible viewfinder, a configuration believed to be unique among known surviving examples. It is in fine condition; the winding knob appears to be non-original. German: An important American 35mm camera, manufactured in 1914 by the Multi-Speed Shutter Company and later distributed by Simplex Photo Products Co. The Simplex Multi-Exposure occupies a remarkable place in the history of 35mm photography. Introduced more than ten years before the commercial Leica, it was among the very first mass-produced cameras for perforated 35mm motion picture film—and, above all, for the 24 × 36 mm format, which later became the international 35mm standard. The camera offered here is the first version, which is particularly interesting because, unlike Model B, it can be switched between 24 × 36 mm and 18 × 24 mm, allowing for 400 or 800 exposures, respectively. It features a Bausch & Lomb Zeiss Tessar Series Ic 50mm lens (No. 894840) in a Compur wheel shutter, as well as the two original film spools. Also included is the exceptionally rare original 16-page Simplex sales brochure from Simplex Photo Products Co., Philadelphia, in which the camera is touted as the “Simplex 400–800 Multi Exposure” with the tagline “Ultimate camera efficiency.” Also included is an original advertisement from the 1914 issue of *Travel* magazine. It is believed that only about 27 units were produced; only a handful are known to exist today. Noteworthy is the detachable, non-retractable viewfinder—a feature that may be unique among the known surviving cameras. The camera is in fine condition; the winding knob does not appear to be original.