G. Zulauf and Company
G. Zulauf and Zschokke

Gottlieb Zulauf, 1871 - 1959

Walther ("Walter") O.W. Zschokke, 1870 - 1951

Alfred Meyer, ? - ?
A. Meyer and Company

by Brian Stevenson
last updated May, 2025

Gottlieb Zulauf owned a microscope manufacturing business in Zürich, Switzerland around the turn of the twentieth century. He began G. Zulauf and Company in early 1896, taking over the microscope-making business of A. Meyer and Company. That firm had been founded by Alfred Meyer in 1888. The “and Company” aspects of the business names implies that both included silent financial partners. It is possible that Zulauf had been employed by Meyer. In either 1898 or 1899, Zulauf’s business changed its name to “G. Zulauf and Zschokke”. In early 1900, Zschokke left the partnership, and the name reverted to G. Zulauf and Company. The junior partner was almost certainly Walther Zschokke, a Swiss optical designer who had earlier worked for the Steinheil optical firm of Munich, then became head of the mathematical department of the C.P. Goertz optical business of Berlin in 1902.

The business expanded to production of cameras in 1898, initially using Aplanat lenses brought in from Steinheil. This coincided with Zschokke's partnership with Zulauf. By the early 1900s, G. Zulauf & Co. produced all components of their cameras, including leather cases, and limited production to the small "Bébé” (“Baby”) and stereoscopic “Polyscop” models. In 1912, Gottlieb Zulauf merged his business with the camera-manufacturing conglomerate Internationale Camera Aktiengesellschaft (ICA), which also included the photography aspects of Carl Zeiss. Zulauf was a member of the ICA Board of Directors. After World War 1, he opened a photographic dealership in Zürich, from which he retired in 1933.

Following is a time line for businesses and known microscope serial numbers. Zulauf evidently continued the progression of serial numbers from Meyer. To date, only one Meyer microscope is known, with serial number 1583. It being that Meyer was in business for fewer than eight years, the high number suggests that he began with a high number, perhaps 1000 or 1500.

1888: Alfred Meyer founded A. Meyer & Co.
  A. Meyer & Co. microscope 1583

1896: Gottlieb Zulauf acquired the business, began operating as G. Zulauf & Co.
  G. Zulauf & Co. microscope 1666

ca. 1899: became G. Zulauf and Zschokke
  G. Zulauf & Zschokke microscope 1752

1900: reverted to G. Zulauf & Co.
  G. Zulauf & Co. microscope 1840
  G. Zulauf & Co. microscope 1886
  G. Zulauf & Co. microscope 2018
  G. Zulauf & Co. microscope 2038

1912: Zulauf & Co. ended after merging with ICA

Figure 1. A. Meyer & Company microscope 1583, produced between 1888 and 1896. Adapted for nonprofit, educational purposes from internet sale sites.

Figure 2. G. Zulauf & Company microscope 1666, produced between 1896 and 1899. This model was described as “Complete” by Eternod, 1898 (see Figure 3). Adapted for nonprofit, educational purposes.

Figure 3. Production microscopes of G. Zulauf & Co., 1898. Left to right, Complete Microscope, Grand Microscope for Mineralogy, Medium Microscope, and Small Microphotography Apparatus. Adapted from Eternod, 1898.

Figure 4. Both A. Meyer & Co. and G. Zulauf & Co. produced various apparatus for use with microscopes, such as the mechanical stage. Adapted from Eternod, 1898. Note that this was attributed to Zulauf, although the engraving identifies the maker as Meyer.

Figure 5. G. Zulauf & Zschokke “Grand Microscope for Mineralogy”, serial number 1752, produced between 1899 and 1900. Adapted for nonprofit, educational purposes from an internet sale site. For additional images and information about this particular instrument, see https://microscope-antiques.com/zandz.html .

Figure 6. G. Zulauf & Co. microscope number 1840, produced between 1901 and 1912. Adapted for nonprofit, educational purposes from an internet sale site.

Figure 7. G. Zulauf & Co. microscope number 1886, produced between 1901 and 1912. The model is essentially the same as the “Complete” microscope shown in Figures 2 and 3. Adapted for nonprofit, educational purposes.

Figure 8. G. Zulauf & Co. microscope number 2018, produced between 1901 and 1912. Adapted for nonprofit, educational purposes from an internet sale site.

Figure 9. G. Zulauf & Co. microscope number 2038, produced between 1901 and 1912. Adapted for nonprofit, educational purposes.

Figure 10. Advertisements from A. Meyer & Co. The last known advertisement for Meyer microscopes was published on January 9, 1896, suggesting that Zulauf acquired the business at around that time. From “Correspondenz-Blatt für Schweizer Ärzte” and “Prager Medizinische Wochenschrift”.

Figure 11 Advertisements for microscopes by G. Zulauf & Co. and G. Zulauf & Zschokke.

Figure 12. A. Meyer & Co. evidently continued in business after selling the microscope factory, becoming a retailer of cameras, binoculars, and other optical, scientific, and engineering apparatus. From “Alpina”, 1904.

Figure 13. Two popular cameras that initially produced by G. Zulauf & Co., and later by ICA, the Polyscop stereo camera (left) and the Bébé (right). Adapted for nonprofit, educational purposes from www.collection-appareils.fr/x/html/camera-14402-Zulauf_Polyscop.html and an internet sale site.

Figure 14. Advertisements for cameras by G. Zulauf & Co., 1911. From “Photographische Korrespondenz”.

Figure 15. 1928 advertisement for Gottlieb Zulauf’s photographic supply shop. From “Camera”.

Figure 16. (Left) An undated photograph of Gottlieb Zulauf, from https://fotohistory.ch/pers%C3%B6nlichkeiten/zulauf-gottlieb. (Right) An undated photograph of Walther Zschokke, from Kingslake's "A History of the Photographic Lens".

Resources

Alpina (1904) Advertisements from A. Meyer & Co.

Camera (1928) Advertisements from Gottlieb Zulauf, Vol. 7

Central-Zeitung für Optik und Mechanik (1901) “Zürich. G. Zulauf hat die optisch-mechanische Werkstätte wieder für alleinige Rechnung übernommen und wird sie unter der Firma G. Zulauf & Cie. weiter betreiben” (“Zurich. G. Zulauf has taken over the optical-mechanical workshop for sole account and will continue to operate it under the name G. Zulauf & Cie”), February issue, page 29

Central-Zeitung für Optik und Mechanik (1912) “Dresden. Ica, Aktiengesellschaft. Zum Mitglied des Vorstandes ist bestellt der Ingenieur Gottlieb Zulauf in Zürich” (“Dresden. ICA, a stock corporation. Engineer Gottlieb Zulauf, based in Zurich, has been appointed a member of the board of directors”), page 66

Company Seven (accessed May, 2025) Carl Zeiss – a history of a most respected name in optics, http://www.company7.com/zeiss/history.html

Correspondenz-Blatt für Schweizer Ärzte (1889) Advertisement from A. Meyer & Co., Vol. 19, April issue, page 40

Der Fortschritt (1888) Ein- und Austritte set 1 Juli 1888, page 123

Fotohistory.ch (accessed May, 2025) Die Anfänge der photographischen Industrie in Zürich von 1880-1926, https://fotohistory.ch/schweizer-fotogeschichte/index

Fotohistory.ch (accessed May, 2025) Gottlieb Zulauf 15. August 1871 - 20. Januar 1959, https://fotohistory.ch/pers%C3%B6nlichkeiten/zulauf-gottlieb

Eternod, Auguste C.F. (1898) GuideTechnique du Laboratorie d'Histologie Normale, Georg & Co., Geneva

Gleichen, Alexander (1918) The Theory of Modern Optical Instruments, His Majesty's Stationery Offie, London

Jahresbericht über die Fortschritte in der Lehre von den Pathogenen (1891) Advertisement from A. Meyer & Co.

Jahresbericht über die Fortschritte in der Lehre von den Pathogenen (1904) Advertisement from G. Zulauf & Co.

Journal of the Royal Microscopical Society (1891) Strasser's ribbon microtome for serial sections, pages 281-283

Journal of the Royal Microscopical Society (1893) Advertisement from A. Meyer & Co., page 11

Kingslake, Rudolf (1989) A History of the Photographic Lens, Academic Press, San Diego

Microscopica Acta (1896) Advertisements from G. Zulauf & Co., Vol. 12

Microscopica Acta (1899) Advertisements from G. Zulauf & Zschokke, Vol. 16

Photographische Chronik (1922) “Das allbewährte Spezialhaus für Photographie, Apparate und Bedarfsartikel Kienast & Co. in Zürich ging mit Jahresbeginn an Herrn Zulauf über. Herr Zulauf ist der frühere Fabrikant der weit bekannten Stereo-Cameras – ‘Polyskop’ und der Bébé- Kameras” (“The well-established specialist for photography, equipment, and supplies, Kienast & Co. in Zurich, was transferred to Mr. Zulauf at the beginning of the year. Mr. Zulauf is the former manufacturer of the well-known ‘Polyskop’ stereo cameras and the Bébé cameras”), Vol. 29, page 51

Photographische Korrespondenz (1911) Advertisement from G. Zulauf & Co., Vol. 48

Prager Medizinische Wochenschrift (1896) Advertisements from A. Meyer & Co., January 9 issue

Schweizer Archiv für Tierheilkunde (1897) Advertisements from G. Zulauf & Co.

Zeitschrift für Wissenschaftliche Mikroskopie (1894) Advertisements from A. Meyer & Co.

Zeitschrift für Wissenschaftliche Mikroskopie (1896) Advertisements from G. Zulauf & Co.

Zeitschrift für Wissenschaftliche Mikroskopie (1900) Advertisements from G. Zulauf & Zschokke

Zeitschrift für Wissenschaftliche Mikroskopie (1901) Advertisements from G. Zulauf & Co.