“B” is for Brownie

“B” is for Brownie: The infamous Kodak Brownie.

Brownie cameras are probably the best known of antique cameras. It seems inevitable that if I mention that I collect cameras, someone asks me if I have a Brownie. The answer is yes.

Most often, when people ask me if I have a Brownie, they’re thinking of the box camera.

The most familiar Brownie cameras are the box cameras.
The most familiar Brownie cameras are the box cameras.

But did you know that every single camera pictured below is a Kodak Brownie?

Every one is a Brownie.
Every one is a Brownie.

This Brownie belonged to my grandmother.

My grandma's Brownie.
My grandma’s Brownie. Specifically, this is a No. 2A Brownie, Model C, manufactured from 1907 to 1933.

This is the label on the side of the special “Anniversary Brownie” that Kodak gave away for its 50th anniversary.

The Anniversary Kodak.
The Anniversary Kodak. 1930.

Here are two Brownies, both which seem to have been cast from the same mold. One, however, was manufactured in Canada.

Two plastic Brownies.
Two plastic Brownies. The Bullet was the premium version of the Holiday camera. These were made in the 1950’s into the 1960’s.

 

How about this beauty that was made in England?

Brownie 127 - Kodak - 2
The Brownie 127. 1953-1959.
Brownie 127 - Kodak - 1
Made in London!

This one is a lovely one as well:

The Brownie Six-20.
The Brownie Flash Six-20. 1940-1954.
Inside are instructions for loading the film.
Inside are instructions for loading the film.
And this one has a convenient shutter lock.
And this one has a convenient shutter lock.

 

But, by far, my favorite Brownie is this one:

The Brownie Automatic Type 1. A folding camera manufactured in
The Brownie Automatic. Also called the No. 2A Folding Pocket Brownie, Model A.  A folding camera manufactured from 1910 to 1915.
It's artwork, and functional.
It’s artwork, and it’s functional.
This really doesn't look much like what we consider a camera today.
This really doesn’t look much like what we consider a camera today.

 

This is just a small selection of the Brownie cameras we have in our collection. But now you can see why I always cringe a bit when someone asks me if I have a Brownie. There’s a lot of Brownie cameras. Which one was yours?

 

Reference: McKeown’s Price Guide to Antique and Classic Cameras, 12th edition, ISBN 0-931838-40-1

The other cameras featured in this A to Z Challenge are linked on this page.

5 Comments

  1. Susan Scott says:

    O those are beautiful Brownies! I remember them – my parents owned them; I doubt I was allowed to use them. What a great collection!
    Garden of Eden Blog

    Like

  2. Rhonda Albom says:

    Thanks for sharing your cameras with us.
    Visiting from AtoZ

    Like

  3. Phoenix says:

    Wow, that’s a lot of Brownies!! Cool cameras!

    Like

  4. My dad found his way to Nagasaki in 1949 while on leave in Tokyo. Had a Brownie. We have the photos in an album, they are probably hot. Dad’s immune system crashed following that and he was a medical discharge from the navy–they never told the seamen about radiation.

    Like

    1. Penny says:

      Wow, what an amazing story! Thanks for sharing!

      Like

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