Leica IV Technical Drawing by Willi Stein *

An amazing, one-of-a-kind original technical drawing of the famous Leica IV. Executed in pencil on parchment, the drawing shows intricate details of the shutter construction. The drawing itself measures approx. 80 × 54 cm, presented in a frame of 95 × 70 cm; the condition is very good, with only minor flaws and a single tear. It is signed in the lower right corner with the initials “St” for Willi Stein.

Willi Stein was one of Leitz’s leading camera designers and closely involved in the development of advanced prototypes in the 1930s and 1940s. Among his most notable projects was the Leica IV, an ambitious prototype that introduced groundbreaking ideas—such as a combined viewfinder/rangefinder and a bayonet lens mount—and ultimately culminated in the legendary Leica M3.