International Circulation of Optical Technologies (1900-1914) - Text 3
The decision was made to grant licenses to lens manufacturers in every country with an optical industry. Zeiss initially licensed the construction of Carl Zeiss objectives to Bausch & Lomb in the United States, Koristka in Italy, Ross Ltd. in England, Voigtländer in Germany, and E. Krauss in France. Zeiss catalogues listed affiliates in many countries. However, the closeness and extent of these relationships varied. As lenses were increasingly circulated on an international level, consistency and the standardization of information became important to upholding both the reputation of the firm and the functionality of these lenses in multiple sites of practice. The national branding of optical products provided a structural logic for an emerging mass market that was drawing upon social markers to identify, brand, and sell commodities in new urban spaces.
