Pinkterton National Detective Agency Leica Camera
date: label: date made
content: 1964
name: label: user
content: Pinkerton Security and Investigation Services
label: maker
content: Leica
notes: label: Description
content: The M2 was introduced in 1957 three years after the M3. The main visible difference is a viewfinder with frames for 35, 50 and 90mm lenses instead of the 50, 90 and 135mm frames used on the M3.
label: Description
content: This Leica M2 has been modified to accept two 50mm f/2.8 screwmount Elmar lenses (serial nos. 1670715 and 172176) on a sliding metal plate. The two lenses on this camera have been modified to focus on only one fixed distance.
label: Description
content: The M2 two lens camera set-up was designed to photograph the markings on racehorses. The Pinkerton detective agency was asked to investigate the switching of horses in races. A scam had been perpetrated where a poor horse was run several times and then the markings on a good horse were altered to look like the poor horse. Then when the good horse was substituted in a race, bets were placed at long odds in order to win large sums of money.
label: Description
content: The Pinkerton modified M2 was designed to take photographs of horse markings at two different distances. One at close distance through the metal opening mounted on the camera and one at a longer distance for a more general view of the horses’ markings. The camera set-up also includes an electronic ring flash around the lens.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: place made
content: Germany: Hesse, Wetzlar
topic: label: Subject
content: Horse Racing
label: Subject
content: Crime Detection
setName: label: See more items in
content: Work and Industry: Photographic History
label: See more items in
content: Leica Cameras
label: See more items in
content: Photography
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Library of Congress
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 2016.0256.01
label: serial number
content: 1103085
label: catalog number
content: 2016.0256.01
label: accession number
content: 2016.0256
objectType: label: Object Name
content: mounted camera
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: metal (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: glass (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 5 in x 12 in x 9 in; 12.7 cm x 30.48 cm x 22.86 cm