222 - R. Hüttig & Sohn / Fichtner | "Excelsior" Detective Camera

R. Hüttig & Sohn / Fichtner | "Excelsior" Detective Camera Estimate: €4,000–5,000 Year: c. 1891 Condition: B+ English: An exceptionally rare and highly important R. Hüttig & Sohn / Fichtner “Excelsior” Detective Camera, Dresden-Striesen, for 12 glass plates in 9 x 12 cm format. The camera is based on Fichtner’s ingenious design, whose advanced magazine and plate-changing system made the Excelsior one of the most technically ambitious detective cameras of its time. Manufactured by R. Hüttig & Sohn in Dresden-Striesen, the Excelsior features an extraordinary externally operated mechanical plate-changing mechanism, allowing the photographer to advance the glass plates inside the closed camera using a side-mounted crank. The internal magazine holds twelve individually numbered plate carriers, while the plate counter is inscribed “EXCELSIOR”—an exceptionally important and distinctive identifying feature. The substantial polished mahogany body, finely crafted brass fittings, and dual viewing mechanisms reflect the remarkable quality and mechanical sophistication of Fichtner’s design. In an era when many magazine cameras still relied on comparatively simple plate-changing mechanisms, the Excelsior offered a highly elaborate mechanical solution and must be regarded as an outstanding achievement of German camera engineering at the dawn of the 1890s. Surviving examples of Fichtner’s Excelsior, particularly in the large 9 × 12 cm format, are very rare. The camera remains in beautiful, original condition. Provenance: Deutsches Fotomuseum, Markkleeberg German: An exceptionally rare and highly significant R. Hüttig & Sohn / Fichtner “Excelsior” detective camera, Dresden-Striesen, designed for twelve glass tops in the 9 × 12 cm format. The camera is based on Fichtner’s ingenious design, whose advanced magazine and plate-changing system made the Excelsior one of the most technically sophisticated detective cameras of its time. Manufactured by R. Hüttig & Sohn in Dresden-Striesen, the Excelsior features an exceptional, externally operated mechanical plate-changing mechanism in which the glass tops are advanced within the closed camera via a side crank. The internal magazine has twelve individually numbered plate holders. The counter bears the inscription “EXCELSIOR”—a particularly important and distinctive identifying feature. The polished mahogany body, the precisely crafted brass fittings, and the two viewfinders attest to the extraordinary quality and mechanical sophistication of Fichtner’s design. At a time when many magazine cameras still used relatively simple plate-changing systems, the Excelsior offered a highly sophisticated mechanical solution and must be regarded as an outstanding achievement in German camera manufacturing in the early 1890s. Surviving examples of the Fichtner Excelsior, particularly in the large 9 × 12 cm format, are exceptionally rare. The camera is in beautiful original condition. Provenance: Deutsches Fotomuseum, Markkleeberg.