Not on display

Popular Brownie

Camera
1950-1959 (manufactured)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

The Brownie was the name of an easy-to-use and inexpensive camera made by the Eastman Kodak company. The first Brownie was made in 1900 and the series was so popular that it continued to be produced for the next seventy years. The Brownie was named after characters that appeared in humorous verse cartoons by the Canadian author, Palmer Cox (1840-1924). These characters, the Brownies, often appeared in advertisements for the early Brownie cameras.

Object details

Category
Object type
TitlePopular Brownie (manufacturer's title)
Materials and techniques
Card, metal and leather
Brief description
Metal and card box Popular Brownie camera made in England by Kodak in the 1950s
Physical description
Card box with a black leather coating with a snake skin effect. On the top of the box is a brown leather handle fastened with two metal pins and in the front left corner is a glass window with metal edges. The sides of the box are fastened together with metal hinges. The front of the camera has two small glass windows and in the centre is the lens. The lens has a metal band around it that reads 'Popular Brownie Takes 620 Kodak Film'.
Dimensions
  • Height: 9.5cm
  • Length: 11cm
  • Width: 7.5cm
Production typeMass produced
Marks and inscriptions
'Popular Brownie Takes 620 Kodak Film' (on metal band around lens)
Summary
The Brownie was the name of an easy-to-use and inexpensive camera made by the Eastman Kodak company. The first Brownie was made in 1900 and the series was so popular that it continued to be produced for the next seventy years. The Brownie was named after characters that appeared in humorous verse cartoons by the Canadian author, Palmer Cox (1840-1924). These characters, the Brownies, often appeared in advertisements for the early Brownie cameras.
Collection
Accession number
B.12-2004

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Record createdNovember 2, 2004
Record URL
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