1920’s Store / Porcelain

Meissen 1920s Art Nouveau Figures

Meissen porcelain is the first European hard-paste porcelain that was first developed in 1708. The commercial production of porcelain at Meissen, near Dresden, Germany, began in 1710 attracting artists and artisans who established the famous porcelain manufacturer which is still in business today, Staatliche Porzellan-Manufaktur Meissen GmbH. In order to identify the original Meissen products, Meissen developed markings that initially were painted on, but were soon fired in underglaze blue. Its signature logo, the crossed swords, was introduced in 1720 to protect its production; the mark of the crossed swords is one of the oldest trademarks in existence.

In 1720 Johann Gregorius Höroldt became the director and introduced brilliant colors which made Meissen porcelain famous. The next sculptor, Johann Jakob Kirchner, was the first to make large-scale statues and figurines, especially of Baroque saints.

In the nineteenth century Ernst August Leuteritz modernized many of the rococo figurines, and reissued them, creating a "Second Rococo" characterized by lacework details (made from actual lace dipped in slip and fired) and applied flowers; English collectors used the term Dresden porcelain to describe these wares. In 1903, old styles were revived and reinterpreted and eighteenth century models were restored. Some appealing work in the Art Nouveau style was produced, but Meissen's mainstay continued to be the constant production of revived eighteenth-century models.

Meissen Art Nouveau Auctions

Meissen Art Deco Auctions

Meissen 1920's Porcelain Auctions

Meissen Porcelain Auctions

1920’s Cameras

The first flexible movie camera films measured 35-mm wide and came in long rolls on a spool. In the mid 1920's 35mm roll film was developed for the camera using this technology.

Oskar Barnack, who was in charge of research and development at Leitz, decided to investigate using 35mm cine film for still cameras while attempting to build a compact camera capable of making high-quality enlargements. He built his prototype 35mm camera (Ur-Leica) around 1913, though further development was delayed for several years by World War I. Leitz test-marketed the design between 1923 and 1924, receiving enough positive feedback that the camera was put into production as the Leica I (for Leitz camera) in 1925. The Leica's immediate popularity spawned a number of competitors, most notably the Contax (introduced in 1932), and cemented the position of 35mm as the format of choice for high-end compact cameras.

In the 1920s, wooden cameras began to be replaced by metal bodied cameras as mass production made cameras more affordable. Black painted bodies, black leather bellows and black leatherette covering featured in many designs, contrasted by nickel plated parts and occasionally chrome plating. Aluminium began to be used in the construction of cameras as pressed bodies and castings.

The first practical reflex camera was the Franke & Heidecke Rolleiflex medium format TLR of 1928. Though both single- and twin-lens reflex cameras had been available for decades, they were too bulky to achieve much popularity. The Rolleiflex, however, was sufficiently compact to achieve widespread popularity and the medium-format TLR design became popular for both high- and low-end cameras.

1922 Kodak Camera Advertisement

No.1 Autographic Kodak (1922). Price $50

Exposures as fast as 1/200 of a second and six other adjustable speeds down to 1/2 second, all timed with scientific accuracy, give the No.1 Special a picture range hitherto associated with large cameras only. And yet you scarcely feel it in your pocket. Since the introduction of the the Kodak thity four years ago there has been no more single achievement in hand camera construction.

The lens: The high speed, high quality Kodak Anastigmat f6.3, eastman made from formula to finish, produces sharp, brilliant clean-cut pictures - the kind you will be glad to keep and proud to show. The shutter: Kodamatic shutter has seven adjustable speeds as well as time and bulb action, and each speed is dependably accurate.

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