The Internets Have Failed Me

(or, Things Not Learned While Looking Up Other Things)

OK, a couple weeks ago, there were lots of stories on Steve McCurry and The Last Roll of Kodachrome.

I posed the question: "OK, Who's going to get The Last Roll of Tri-X?"

(My answer: Salgado)

So I got to poking around the early days of 35mm. Oskar Barnack, Leica, 1925, yadda yadda.

To compete in this new segment of the photographic market, Kodak bought the Nagel Werkes in Dec. 1931, and brought the first Kodak (Nagel) Retina 35mm camera AND its associated 135 Daylight Loading Cartridge to market in 1934.

(Obscure Fun Fact: Kodak also briefly sold "235" Leica cartridges and "435" Contax cartridges. ("335" was for some stereo camera.))

Now, Doc Augie Nagel HELD the German patent on the 135 cartridge. And so I'm wondering if Kodak bought his company just to get access to the patent, or did he design it out while on the Kodak payroll?

The internet will not answer this.

It's one of those topics where the Internets turn up ONLY the close-to-useless Wiki text, but copied on a hundred different sites.

I can find the patent for the APS cartridge, but not for the 135 cartridge.

I may need a research library with real paper books.