Nagel Recomar c1930 courtesy of The Living Image Vintage Camera Museum
Toronto. In the 1970s while living in Montreal, I saw a newspaper ad and went off one weekend to the English enclave of Montreal West to look at a Kodak 3A autographic folder. The camera complete with case cost $25. For another $10, the old chap threw in a strange looking folder that used glass plates or cut film. It was a technical camera called a Recomar and made by a company called Nagel Werkes. Eventually I donated both to the PHSC for an auction. (Ironically I once had an uncle by the name August Nagel – not the same person.)
I later discovered that August Nagel and an associate formed a company which became part of Zeiss-Ikon. Nagel was a camera designer. He split from Zeiss after Zeiss-Ikon was created and formed his own company in Stuttgart making some small cameras including the Recomar. When the minicam revolution hit in the 1930s, Kodak bought the Nagel Werkes to form Kodak AG. Kodak went on to make Recomars and the first versions of the Retina in the Stuttgart factory.
Nagel is perhaps best known for designing the original Kodak 135 35mm film cassette which quickly became the industry standard, fitting almost all 35mm cameras.
