Brownie Fiesta

[Doug T.]

Hi All! I took a few shots of the items I got at auction the other night. Here's the first.............



It's a Kodak Brownie Fiesta, made from 1962-66. Uses 127 film, and has the accessory flash.

Doug

[mickeyobe]

My earliest Brownie. No. 2 Brownie Model F. About 1926.



Mickey

[Doug T.]

Hi Mickey!

That's a very cool looking box!
Were the cameras named for the Brownie character, or was it the other way around?
Either way, they made thousands of variations, they're cheap, and fun to collect
I'm having a great time looking for them!!

Doug

[mickeyobe]

Doug,

The camera was designed by Eastman's camera designer, Frank Brownell, but I am not sure it was named after him.
Brownies were elf-like characters created by Palmer Cox for a successful series of childrens' books. That seems to be its more probable origin. The originals made in 1900 were sold for $1 and were designed to appeal to children. I wonder why I am so fascinated with the box and its "Brownie" character.

I think Brownies present a marvelous, unending source for a collector.
They are attractive and almost always in working condition. Just wipe off the jam and peanut butter left by little hands and there you have a gem.

Mickey

[pompiere]

I'm not sure that Kodak was trying to sell cameras to children. They used children in their advertising to show that the cameras were so easy to use that a child could do it. Before Kodak, taking pictures was mainly the domain of professional photographers.

[mickeyobe]

A quote from McKeown's "Collectors Guide to Kodak Cameras" 1981.
"Constructed of cardboard with a simple rotary shutter, it cost only $1.00 and was promoted as a camera for children."

Mickey