Help with identification

[Heidi Rosser]

Hi,
I'm just helping my local photography club with some camera identification.
This little strut style folding bellows camera seems to be a bit of a mystery. I have one photo at the moment.
Size is small, almost has a luxus brown finish to the bellows and leatherette. The front face has a gold/ brass coloured finish. Seems to have a German lens and Compur shutter. I cannot see any other markings at all on the camera. Other than the letters WA RA just above the lens.
Does anyone know what camera this is?

 

[smithdan]

Don't know how to post links on my phone Heidi, but if you put the German patient # into Google, DRG 258646, up this little gem comes.

 

[Heidi Rosser]

Just searched that and nothing really comes up for me. Did you see a searchable name other than the DRP number?
I did see one camera with a square aback but the front was very different.

 

[smithdan]

Did some more searching and apparently the patent # applies to the shutter and not to the camera. Did however find a picture of a camera very similar to yours with the DRP 258646 shutter, listed as a Zeiss Ikon 1914 folding. Search brings up both plate back and roll film models.

Other companies used that shutter as well

 

[webestang64]

Very interesting face, I've never seen one like that before. Leaf shutters were mass-produced and from what I've dug up many camera body makers used them. Cool piece.

 

[cgw]

That's an unusual finish for the period. As such, I wonder if it's been refinished since I've seen old folders whose remaining black lacquer was removed down to brass. Just a thought...

 

[smithdan]

Perhaps you could post some more pictures, I'm curious as to the spring like object opposite the film advance winder.

 

[Heidi Rosser]

I don't think the leatherette has been stripped. It does look like it was supposed to be that way. The gold/ brass finished goes down the sides as well. It's slightly tarnished which is why I think it has not been stripped.
Might be able to get another photo in a couple of weeks when I go back down to the society.
This camera has come out of a large collection. The collector was very particular about the items he had collected...only the best. Knowing him it's something rare.

 

[Mitica100]

It’s a Wauckosin Wara German camera although I can’t pinpoint the model. Related to Plaubel. It would help to have more pictures, size of film or plates it takes and so on.

 

[Mitica100]

As I’m looking at various models of the Wara, I can’t but think this could be a prototype or a camera issued for some special occasion. It seems to me it’s a strut folding camera from what I can see. Plaubel made these kind of strut folders during early 20th century.

More research...