ID logo on an old Petzval?

[Mark Sawyer]

Just picked up an old 8" Petzval. It may be a projection lens, but I'm not sure. No slot for Waterhouse stops, but it's choked down to about f/5.3 at the center of the barrel; otherwise it would be an f/4. Anyways, it has this logo on the side, and I was wondering if anyone recognized it?

http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g139/Owen21k/new013.jpg

[Steven Tribe]

E. Anthony - congratulations! Of E and H.T. Anthony fame.

[Mark Sawyer]

Thanks, Steven! I wondered about that, but the only other Anthony lens I've seen was marked with the full "E. and H. T. Anthony". I may have to give this one a whirl. Or swirl... :)

[Steven Tribe]

I don't think it is a date thing - it looks like they used this engraving on specific products rather the full name (source VM). The Darlot trademark must have given them the idea. Could signify the source of the optics, perhaps? There could be "Darlot etc." written on the side of the front lens?

[Mark Sawyer]

A happy discovery! I took the lens apart to clean the elements, as they were rather dirty, and they cleaned up rather well. But the air-spaced pair were at the front, rather than the rear. And I couldn't just reverse the cells, as they had slightly different diameters. Hmmm... So the inner tube must be reversed in the outer tube...

I took it out to reverse it, and there, hiding under the tube was a slot for the Waterhouse stops! So it's not a magic lantern lens, but an official E. & H. T. Anthony Portrait Lens, after all! :) :) :)

But the front end cell housing won't unscrew, so whether it was made by Darlot remains a mystery. Sorry, Steven.

[Dan Dozer]

Hi Mark,

So you are the one I was bidding against for this one. I guess I should have been a little more agressive on my bidding. You obviously got it more than what it looked like for a great price.

If you ever make it over to one of Per Volquartz's Joshua Tree get togethers, maybe I'll have a chance to see it.

Have fun with it.

[Steven Tribe]

Now I am surprised. What is an inner tube with a Waterhouse slot doing in brass sleeve without the square cut out? Doesn't make sense? Could this be a marriage of two divorced partners? Don't dispair - the optical half could be from a more illustrious Petzval maker than E&HT Anthony. This could explain the incorrect assembly.

[Mark Sawyer]

Hi Mark,

So you are the one I was bidding against for this one. I guess I should have been a little more agressive on my bidding. You obviously got it more than what it looked like for a great price.

If you ever make it over to one of Per Volquartz's Joshua Tree get togethers, maybe I'll have a chance to see it.

Have fun with it.

Yeah, I got lucky on this one; it looked like just another magic lantern lens, even when it arrived. The logo was the only thing that piqued my interest, and I didn't think I'd get it. It cleaned up very nicely, though, and finding that it's a portrait lens with a bit of history behind it makes me happy. :)

I'd like to make it to one of Per's workshops, though life keeps me so busy. One of these days. Hope to see you there...

[Mark Sawyer]

Now I am surprised. What is an inner tube with a Waterhouse slot doing in brass sleeve without the square cut out? Doesn't make sense? Could this be a marriage of two divorced partners? Don't dispair - the optical half could be from a more illustrious Petzval maker than E&HT Anthony. This could explain the incorrect assembly.

Can't say for sure, but looking at the pieces, it seems like they belong together. They certainly fit and fuction well together, but then, who knows? We'll see what it does on the camera in a few days...