In 1970, the researcher Werner Kraus gets an unusual job. For Daimler-Benz he is to photographically document the combustion in the Wankel engine. Werner Kraus develops an extremely fast lens which reproduces the process on a scale of 1: 1. He immediately recognizes the artistic potential of this unique optical system. Together with sculptor Erhard Hößle, he launches an unprecedented project that combines science, art, craftsmanship and spectacular self-awareness. He builds the IMAGO Camera.
In 2005, Susanna Kraus takes the original 1970’s IMAGO Camera out of the Neue Sammlung der Pinakothek der Moderne in Munich and brings it back into operation. For more than 25 years the camera was kept in Munich by Professor Florian Hufnagl, the head of the new collection. The production of the special Direct Positive Paper, indispensable for the operation of IMAGO, was discontinued in 1978, so Susanna Kraus sets out on a quest. Eventually, in 2006, she persuades ILFORD Switzerland to re-start the production of the silver gelatine black and white photo paper and Ilford adds its legendary Ilfochrome look. This reactivates the IMAGO Camera. A contemporary photographic medium with a timeless character. First relaunched exclusively for IMAGO, IMAGO Direkt Positiv Papier is now a popular paper among photographers for large-format photography. The special IMAGO and HARMAN Baryta Direct Positive Paper are available here in our shop.