Leitz NOOKY-HESUM
c late 1930s
Toronto. When Oskar Barnack created the Leica he used lenses focussing from 1 metre to infinity. Many users wanted to use the tiny marvels closer than 1 metre. This was solved for copying by various devices and stands. To use the camera in hand, Barnack came up with a special extension tube which allowed focussing from 1 metre to about 16 inches using special devices to correct the rangefinder and the viewfinder as the lens was focussed to closer distances. USPTO number 2,041,633 was filed by Barnack on February 4th, 1935 and issued the following year on May 19, 1936.
Dr Alex Wright (The Collector’s Checklist of Leica Cameras) thought the design might have been the last creation by Oskar Barnack, since he died January 16, 1936, after filing the American patent but before it was issued. The devise was patented earlier in Germany.
Based on the marking and use of chrome, my NOOKY-HESUM shown above was likely made post war in the late 1930s. It is new in the original red cardboard box. Note. Paul Simon used the title line as part of his song Slip Slidin’ Away! which was a singles hit in 1977 and is included on his CD Negotiations and Love Songs 1971 – 1986 (which includes his hit Kodachrome)
