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History and origin of the Gossen company of Photoelectric Exposure and light meters. |
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P.Gossen & Co. |
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 Main building Gossen company in Erlangen |
First of September 1919 Paul Gossen started his company as "Paul Gossen Co. K.-G., Fabrik electrischer Messgeräte" in a old building in Baiersdorf (Between Erlangen and Bamberg). With a handful of employees, 3 old lathes and some other old equipment he started this company specialized in measuring equipment. The first hotwire analog meters, mounted on a wooden plate with a metal casing were made in this company. Already one year later in 1920 the building became to small and Paul was looking for an another building. He found this in a old bathing house in the Bismarckstrasse in Erlangen so the company moved Erlangen. Quick the measuring equipment made by Gossen became well known for their high quality and precision. The inflation, economical crisis and the pre second world war time made it difficult to run a company in these years but Gossen survived and in 1926 the very famous "MAVO" (Multi-Ampere-Volt-Meter) meter was introduced. An universal measuring device special thought for the radio builders and amateurs. |
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| With the Ombrux, photographers could measure actually the light instead of estimate the light value by experience, use of the not so reliable aktinometer or use of tables like the one made by Paul Dette. The Ombrux was made for photography while his counterpart the Blendux was made for cine purposes. At the time of the fair, Paul Gossen was able to offer the Ombrux for a price of 29.50 Reichsmarken exlcuding the leather case. The question was, if the time was right to offer the photographic market a meter instead of the old ways to make the exposure. At the same time, Weston brought a meter on the market in the USA but this was a very expensive equipment. On the same fair in Leipzig was another company who brought a meter on the market, a company from Nurnberg founded by Dr. Siegfried Guggenheimer, in 1933 named Metrawatt under pressure of the Nazis. |
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In 1934 Gossen invested in a factory building. During that time increased his company up to some 1000 workers. In 1940 the companies name changed from Meßgeräte P. Gossen & Co KG to P. Gossen & Co GmbH. The company moved in 1943 to a new factory building at the Nägelsbachstraße.In the middle of 1949 , P. Gossen & Co GmbH developed a portable writing machines the Gossen-Tippa.This machine was a tremendous success in Germany and also on the international markets. The Tippa was further improved in 1951 and the German magazine "Burobedarf" wrote; at this moment Gossen produces every 8 minutes a new typewriter. In 1954 the Tippa was again improved and cosmetically updated. Autumn 1956 came the great news, Gossen sold the rights of manufactory in Adler-werke because the production of measuring equipment was enormous increased. At the end of the fifties the number of employees rose to some 2000. |
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After the WWII Gossen
started with de development of a complete new exposure meter. All
previous meters were based on the very first meter, the Photolux. There
were small changed in the housing, the electric system and the reading
scale but not really dramatic changes. In 1949 Gossen claimed a patent
in Germany for a complete new meter, the Sixtomat. This meter has been
sold in modified form until mid seventies, some 25 years. After the
Sixtomat there came other versions, the Sixtomat-I, the Sixtomat-J, the
Sixtomat X2 and finally the Sixtomat X3. A big range of light and
exposure meters were developed during the years. |
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A number of patents were filed at the US patent office. By these patents, now available we can distill an number of inventors working for Gossen GMBH. Erwin Pfaffenberger, Herbert Poppa Karl Goetz, Helmut Dreyer, Leonhard Burkhard, Hans Gossen, Wolf Kroger, Walter Illing, Werner Schultze and many others. Erwin Pfaffenberger (04-04-1906) was the head designer and inventor Of Gossen & Co. He came at the company in 1924 as a trainee draughtsman and trough private study he gained his position. Several important patents are written om his name.
Exposure meters were also exported to the USA but not
always with the same name and finish. Because the USA
was not custom to the DIN assignment, a number of meters
for the USA market were modified to only have the ASA assignment, sometimes even with a double ASA assignment. Also the French
market received the meters with a French instruction on the scale
instead of the standard German text (on the older meters). Not only we
see differences in the country versions but also versions made for
special companies as Leitz Wetzlar and Kodak. Also we see different
version from one type of meter like the Sixtomat in white, black and
dark blueand rarely in dark red. |
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Metrawatt GmbH. Siegfried Guggenheimer,
born 220 November 1875 in Nurnberg. He died 8 december 1938 in Florence,
Italy. He was a German manufacturer of electrical test and measurement
equipment. He started his company in 1906, it was comercial registered
August 20 1906 in Nurnberg. From the start the company they manufactured
and sold electrical and measurement equipment. A remarkable point is the
vision of Guggenheimer the recognize so early the future of the energy
carrier current. The factory was hosted in the Dreichslerstarsse 19 in
Nurnberg. In 1912 the buildings in the Schopershofestrasse 52
are bought and in 1917 the the building next door at nr 54 was bought.
In this time, the name of Guggenheim and the company became well known
all over Germany. |
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 De official papers about the history of the Gossen company |
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