Kodak Brownie, a Dead Technology
Play: The Term of the Decade
Historians have debated whether a unified progressive reform movement existed during the decades surrounding the turn of the twentieth century.
Through out the study of the Brownie camera we notice a new focus on children, and a value in play. In line with this general social and markitable trend, was the Progressive educational trend that we align with the work of John Dewey and learning through play.
Ocassionally I have noted others making a connection with the childs use of the camera and learning. I am wary of this, as it is never explained. I will not rule it out as irrelivant, but it seems to be an overexageration of Eastmans contribution with the Brownie and its campagin, which did not have the goal of democratization and differentialization of learning. by Mar 10
Posed Children, pre-Brownie
This site is intended as a platform for geneology study, and the specific page is a compillation of early childhood photographs, many pre-Kodak. In referance to the study of the Kodak Brownie as a technology, this gives us precious insite into its precursors.
Formal photography of children is seems as a struggle here. In some cases you see parents hiding under dropcloths whilte holding their children in pose. The children are dressed as adults and exprected to behave in the stoic manner an adult might when photographed. The transition to the Brownie camera opened up the possibilities for recording the image of your child, and in many ways it became a much more true recording. by Mar 10
Susan Sontag: An Interview
An Interview With Susan Sontag
An essential read to thinking about photography today, in historical and cultural context. Sontag asserts that photography allows us to place value on what we photograph over what we do not. And in turn, to read value into that which is photographed. Culturally, Americans 'see a photograph in everything', if you can find the right vantage point, where as this is not the case elsewhere. Furthermore, Sontag states that photography is linear, in that it acts as historicizing markers throughout our past. I see this as true of our culture practice of photography, but not of photography as a tool used outside of these norms, in the arts. . by Mar 12
Ebay as a site for research?
Ebay- always an intriguing location when studying artifacts and applied value. by Mar 10
Camera Magic (1961)
I have avoided working with video due to its potential complications. This video, taken with a Brownie film camera in 1961, intregues my art teacher self too much to not include. The maker of this film utlized a tool that was not ment for the arts, to make art, a sometimes very difficult task (I might compare this in camera editting to the task of making precut and treated lumber take organic forms, it just seems near impossible).
'Amatures' utlizing these domestic tools of memory as medium for artwork crossed and challenged boundaries. The producers of the film were no longer 'amatures', or 'artists', or 'technicians', or were they? by Mar 12
THE BROWNIE CAMERA PAGE
An extensive collection of resources geared specifically for the Kodak Brownie camera. Included on this site are links to finding cameras and supplies, technical information, history, images, and options for connecting with other Brownie enthusiasts. by Mar 7
Exploded Brownie Camera
The pure physicallity behind the Brownie, contextually floating. by Mar 11
Brownie, a Folklore Figure
Palmer Cox
Palmer Cox (April 28, 1840 – July 24, 1924) was a Canadian illustrator and author , best known for The Brownies , his series of humorous verse books and comic strips about the mischievous but kindhearted fairy-like sprites .
Copyright and Licensing. Cox was a bridge between 19th century attitudes on licensing and the modern age in his efforts to protect his work.
Palmer Cox, the Brownie Craze, and the Brownie Camera - March 21, 2007
This particular article outlines new insight into the Kodak Brownie name, reflecting on the advertising use the Cox's Brownies and Kodaks appropriate without regard to Cox's rights. by Mar 12
A CORPO - Google Patent Search
The patent, including drawings, of the Kodak Brownie Camera avaliable on google docs! by Mar 12
2012 Olympic Kodak Brownie Camera
Kodak Brownie Revived For The 2012 Olympics
The Brownie, risen from the grave for the 2012 Olympics. The Brownie, commonly released anew in celebration, is designed as a brightly colored 'toy' with only one option, 'shoot'. This camera might be more of a commodity than the original brownie, while it will not be as widely distributed by any means, its commodity value is much larger. by Mar 12
50 Vintage Camera Ads - Part 2
amanda Tue, 10/06/2009 - 09:46 The time has come for part two! I should probably apologize for the predominantly vintage articles I've been posting lately, but seriously... can you ever really get enough of vintage?
This collection of vintage camera advertisments and booklets is not limited to the Kodak Brownie, as I have been focusing on. Yet, much of the marketing rules that we see in the Brownie apply acrossed the board. A father/son connection is shown being formed over a camera, asserting that the camera re-introduces the male figure into the domestic sphere. Generally, the advertisments that include women are viewed as domestic or autobiographical, while those with male figures introduce some of the technological aspects of the camera. Of particular interest to someone studying the outliers in this group might be the Seneca camera advertisment, featuring a Native American in 'habitat' using a camera, and an advertisment that is not printed in english, and features very modern/technology motifs over the domestic. by Mar 12