General Information

Serial #

183540

Part Number

1

Total Parts

1

AKA

N/A

Patents

N/A

General Description

Metal body. Leather covered chromed bed runners & hinges. Leather & paper bellows. Glass lens & viewfinder.

Dimensions

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

Length

20.0 cm

Width

4.0 cm

Height

8.6 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

Unknown

State/Province

Unknown

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 roll film camera that produced 2¼ X 4¼ inch images on 116 film using a rapid rectilinear lens and a Kodak ball bearing shutter (Ref.4). The Autographic Brownie, "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.3). Continuation of folding brownie camera series, but with the addition of the 'autographic' feature (McKeown, p.126)

Area Notes

Unknown

Details

Markings

cameraOn leather strap: ‘No. 2A FOLDING AUTOGRAPHIC BROWNIE’; On leg/bed support: ‘183540’ serial number; On riveted plate next to lens: 'NO.2A FOLDING/ AUTOGRAPHIC BROWNIE'; Around lens on screwed on plate: 'KODAK BALL BEARING SHUTTER/ PATENTED IN U.S.A. JAN.18, 1910 JAN.7, 1913'; Mfr. plate readS: 'MADE IN CANADA/ BY/ CANADIAN/ KODAK CO., LTD./ TORONTO, CANADA'; On a hinged plate on camera back it states: 'USE AUTOGRAPHIC FILM/ NO. A-116';Patent information around lens:‘PATENTED IN U.S.A. JAN.18,1910, JAN.7, 1913./ AUTOTIME PAT. 1908'; On section of body holding bellows - interior: ‘PATENTED/ IN U.S.A./ APR. 29, 1902/ JULY 8, 1902/ NOV. 24, 1908/ MAY 6, 1913/ AUG. 18, 1914/ OCT. 6, 1914/ JUNE 2, 1915/ FEB. 1, 1916/ MAY 30, 1916/ AUG. 22, 1916/ JUNE 9, 1917/ MAR. 6, 1917/ JUNE 19, 1917'; On opposite side of body: '‘PATENTED/ IN CANADA/ AUG. 24, 1909/ AUG. 1, 1916/ PATENTED/ IN AUSTRALIA/ 13077/ MAY 2, 1914/ 13078/ MAY 6, 1913/ 15818/ MAR. 19, 1915/ OTHER/ PATENTS/ PENDING.'

Missing

Leather covering of face.

Finish

Apart from above mentioned chromed pieces this camera is all black.

Decoration

N/A