The Kodak - Antique and Vintage Cameras

The Kodak

1888

Eastman Dry Plate & Film Co.

Rochester

USA

Image of The Kodak

Lens:
f9, 57 mm doublet. Fixed aperture. The lens gives a depth-of-field of 3 ½' to infinity. The angle of view is 60°.

Shutter:
Cylindrical, T and I settings.

Construction:
Leather covered wood body.

Format:
100, 2 ½" diameter exposures on stripping film.

Focusing:
Fixed.

Attributes:
Film advance indicated by index line.

Identification:
Version without 'V' sighting lines.

Serial Number:
747 .

With:
6 mounted photographs: circular images printed on 3 ½" x 4 ½" albumen paper mounted on cream card. The rear of the card has an overall pattern of flowers and lines used by Kodak. These would seem to pre-date similar cards where the rear of the card carries the Kodak name and the face is dark brown. The images are captioned in ink: Shrewsbury, Hereford, and the Penzance area.

One of the most important cameras made, the Kodak introduced no technical innovations, but a combination of features and the way it was marketed proved successful and laid the foundation for Eastman's success. The Kodak started the fashion for box cameras, it was small, simply constructed had no focusing or other adjustments except for advancing the film, setting the shutter and releasing the shutter. Most importantly it was aimed at people who were not photographers. For processing the camera was returned to Eastman. After its introduction celluloid roll-film replaced the original stripping film and, later that year, the Kodak was replaced by a model with an improved shutter (called the No. 1). 'V' sight lines were added to late versions of the Kodak.

The instruction manual supplied with the camera makes clear that optionally the photographer may return just the roll of film to Kodak rather than the complete camera. The film could also be developed by the user.

For interior shots the shutter is wound down (by releasing the shutter with the cap on the lens) the shutter is then moved by hand to the open position where it clicks into place.

References & Notes:
The Kodak shutter. BP 6950/1888. US Pat. 388850/1888. BJA 1889, pp. 600, 731. YBP 1889, advert. Lothrop, Century, p. 37. Jenkins, Images and Enterprise, p. 114.

The Kodak

1888

Eastman Dry Plate & Film Co.

Rochester

USA

Image of The Kodak

Details as for the previous entry.

Identification:
Version without 'V' sighting lines.

Serial Number:
1146 .

With:
Case.


Company Details:

Kodak

The Kodak

No. 3 Kodak

No 4 Kodak Junior

Kodak A Ordinary

No. 2 Bulls-eye Kodak

No. 3 Bulls-eye Kodak

No. 2 Plico Kodak

Pocket Kodak

Quick Focus Kodak

The Brownie

No.1 Brownie

No.2 Brownie

No.2A Brownie

No.0 Brownie

No.2 Cartridge Hawk-eye

Portrait Hawkeye No.2

Six-20 Brownie

Popular Brownie

Hawkeye Major

Six-16 Brownie

Beau Brownie

Baby Box

Box Tengor

Erabox

Agfa

Scout

Ensign Box-Form

Ensign Cadet

APeM

Puck

Imperial Portrait Camera

No. 2 Camera

Modern No. 2 Camera

Supreme De Luxe

Warwick

Varsity Camera

Crown Camera

Coronet

Box Carbine

Cowen's Ideal A.1

J-B Ensign

E29

All-Distance Ensign

Ensign All-Distance 20

Duo-Ensign

May Fair

Baby Brownie

Baby Hawkeye

Brownie 127

Brownie Cresta

Brownie 44A

Brownie Reflex

Duaflex

Instamatic

ISO Rapid

Pocket Instamatic

Kodak Disc

Ful-Vue

Coronet Popular Twelve

AGI / Ilford

Sprite 35

No. 2 Film-Pack Hawk-Eye

B-P Criterion

Little Pilot

Little Nipper No 1

Little Nipper

Twink

Junior Stand Camera

Baby Camera

Wonder Camera