General Information

Serial #

48321

Part Number

1

Total Parts

1

AKA

N/A

Patents

N/A

General Description

Metal, leatherette, leather, chrome-like metal, cardboard, glass.

Dimensions

Note: These reflect the general size for storage and are not necessarily representative of the object's true dimensions.

Length

4.3 cm

Width

12.1 cm

Height

23.5 cm

Thickness

N/A

Weight

N/A

Diameter

N/A

Volume

N/A

Lexicon

Group

Photography

Category

Still cameras

Sub-Category

N/A

Manufacturer

AKA

Kodak

Country

Canada

State/Province

Ontario

City

Toronto

Context

Country

Canada

State/Province

Ontario

Period

Unknown

Canada

Eastman saw that if the cost could be reduced, more people, and in particular children, might take up photography. Frank Brownell designed the Brownie camera which was launched in 1900. It was named after the little characters created by the popular Canadian children's author and illustrator Palmer Cox. By adopting the name and using the characters in advertising, Eastman gained a major marketing advantage. Kodak Canada was founded by Eastman Kodak in 1899 in a Toronto shop where employees cut sheet film and fitted lenses on cameras to support the growing potential for a photographic market in Canada. As Canadian interest in photography grew, the company expanded across the country throughout the 20th century to produce in all aspects of photography including still and movie cameras, film, x-ray film, photocopy paper, and photographic chemicals under many popular names including Brownie, Kodacolor, Carousel, and Supermatic.

Function

To record still images on photographic film.

Technical

A folding rollfilm camera that produced 3¼ X 5½ inch images on 122 film using an achromatic lens and a ball bearing shutter (Ref.1). Permitted a message to be written on the film between frames. After taking a photograph, the users would open up the small door on the back of the camera and using the provided stylus inscribes a brief note indicating a significant date, time, or setting that the image was taken (Ref.2).

Area Notes

Unknown

Details

Markings

‘No. 3A FOLDING AUTOGRAPHIC BROWNIE’ imprinted on leather strap; ‘USE AUTOGRAPHIC FILM/ NO. A-122’ on small door [autographic window] at back of camera; Patent info. inside camera, as well as ‘LICENSED/ FOR USE ONLY/ WITH/ EASTMAN/ AUTOGRAPHIC FILM/ PAT. APPLIED FOR’ ; On leg/bed support: ‘48321’ serial number; Info. on lens standard: ‘MADE BY EASTMAN KODAK Co. ROCHESTER, N.Y. U.S.A.; Name plate reads: ‘NO. 3-A FOLDING/ AUTOGRAPHIC/ BROWNIE’; Mfr.’s plate: ‘MADE IN CANADA/ BY/ CANADIAN/ KODAK CO., LTD./ TORONTO, CANADA’.

Missing

Autographic stylus.

Finish

All metal body covered with black leatherette, chrome-like trimmings, black cardboard bellows, black leather strap. metal "door" and opening inside the camera for an autographic pencil at back

Decoration

N/A