STEREO COMPOUND SHUTTER - ORIGINAL MODEL

Friedrich Deckel, Munich, Germany 19o4-1906

This is believed to be the original model of the Stereo Compound Shutter, designed and manufactured by Friedrich Deckel of Munich, Germany.

Introduced in Germany by 1904, Deckel manufactured the Compound Shutter in the above style, as seen in advertisements through at least 1906. The Compound was later manufactured under license in the United States by the Bausch & Lomb Optical Company from at least 1908 through 1917. As built by Bausch & Lomb, the linkage was now hidden by the most part, within a streamlined casing that was finished in black.

On the higher end, the Stereo Compound Shutter would most likely have been equipped with an E. Krauss, Paris, Zeiss Tessar, f6.3 lens. But it could also have been fitted with any number of lenses by other makers. When acquired, this shutter was missing its lenses and Bausch & Lomb Rapid Rectilinears were installed to fill the spaces.

While the later Bausch & Lomb Stereo Compounds are seen occasionally, I've only encountered a few examples of the Deckel-built Stereo Compound Shutter in the past twenty years, and it can be considered extremely scarce or rare.