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In 1898 Hugo Breutmann founded a company for production of cameras in Berlin. In 1899 the salesman Frantz Goltz joined as co-owner. The company was named Goltz & Breutmann OHG Fabrik für photographische Apparate. Its camera brand was Mentor and its specialty were cameras with focal plane shutters. A change of ownership didn't change the company name. Businessman Gustav Adolf Heinrich replaced Franz Goltz. Heinrich forced the further development of the company and its move to Dresden. During WWI the company made aerial cameras. Heinrich revived the civilian camera business after the war. In 1921 the company was renamed to Mentor Kamerafabrik Goltz & Breutmann, and in 1929 it had 180 employees. It was successful with its SLR cameras and avantgarde with its Mentorett, a TLR with focal plane shutter.

The economical crisis after 1929 and the death of Mr. Heinrich in 1935 led to the decline of the company. In 1944 the master craftsman Rudolf Großer of A. Noble's company bought the company and restarted the business with 15 employees. The air raid that Gen. Harris led against Dresden at the end of the war finished his dreams since the factory got completely devastated.

Camera industry in Dresden
Balda | Certo | Eho-Altissa | Ernemann | Feinmess | Hüttig | ICA | Ihagee | Kochmann | Kerman | KW | Eugen Loeber | Ludwig | Mentor | Mimosa | Pentacon | Richter | Werner | Wünsche | Zeiss Ikon | Zeh
Camera distributors in Dresden
Stöckig
Camera industry in Freital
Beier | Pouva | Thowe | Welta

The company nonetheless survived the war, and continued making large format cameras. It became VEB Mentor in 1972 and was merged within Pentacon in 1980.

cameras[]

  • Mentor
  • Mentor II
  • Mentor Standard
  • Mentor Atelier-Reflex-Kamera
  • Mentor Compur-Reflex-Kamera
  • Klein-Mentor 9x9
  • Klein-Mentor Spiegelreflex 6x9
  • Mentor Dreivier
  • Mentorett
  • Mentor Klapp
  • Mentor Klapp-Reflex
  • Mentor Stereo-Reflex
  • Mentor Spiegel-Reflex-Kamera
  • Mentor Sport-Reflex-Kamera
  • Mentor Reflex

source[]

Herbert Blumtritt, Geschichte der Dresdner Fotoindustrie, Stuttgart 2000

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