User:Edwin of Northumbria/Pocket Kodak Camera

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The Pocket Kodak Camera, introduced by the Eastman Kodak Company in July 1895, was a small, lightweight, and relatively inexpensive camera which could be used with either Kodak 102 roll film or (by purchasing an adaptor) dry photographic plates. Measuring just 2¼ x 2⅞ x 3⅞ inches and weighing about 5 oz (140 g),[1][2] the camera consisted of a wooden shell covered with leather and internal frame made from aluminium.[3][4]

Four variants of the original design were produced between 1895 and 1896 in red or black leather, with revised versions being released annually from 1896 to 1899 (Models '96 to '99) in black leather only. The launch of the Model D in 1900 marked the end of the camera's development and it was withdrawn by the end of the following year.[a] The Pocket Kodak was marketed in Europe as well as the United States, where, at a cost of $5,[b] it proved to be an immediate success and according to one report, cameras were selling "like hot cakes" in Chicago within days of becoming available.[8] Out of a total of 147,000 Pocket Kodaks made,100,000 were sold in the first year,[3] their price and ease of use doing much to popularize photography as a recreational activity.[9][10][11]

French magazine advert for the Pocket Kodak from November 1895.[12]
French magazine advert for the Pocket Kodak from November 1895.[12]

Design and development[edit]

The Pocket Kodak was designed to accommodate the bespoke Kodak 102 roll film,[c] which generated twelve 1½ x 2 inch (4 x 5 cm) negatives. Not only could the film be loaded in daylight as it was protected by a paper backing, but from numbers printed on the paper which were visible through a hole covered by red glass[d] at the rear of the camera, it was possible for the photographer to determine when the film had been wound on by the required amount.[14] This feature was a patented innovation of Boston Camera Company,[15] from whom George Eastman purchased a license to use it in 1894 before acquiring the business a year later.[16][17]

US advert for the Pocket Kodak from an 1895 issue of McClure's Magazine.
US advert for the Pocket Kodak from an 1895 issue of McClure's Magazine.

The original Pocket Kodak was produced between July 1895 and June 1896 and had a Tisdell sector shutter[e] with a round reflecting viewfinder. The first of the four variants from this period had felt film guides and plain metal flaps on the film carrier. Initially the shutter was mounted on the film carrier but was later transferred to a separate board. The second variant differed only in having printing on the flaps. The third variant had roller film guides and either printed or plain flaps. The final variant again had roller guides but the shutter was attached to the film carrier. The 1896 model introduced a rectangular viewfinder and rotary shutter, the latter being attached to the film carrier which was made of wood rather than aluminium. The addition of pull-up strips also gave the user limited control over aperture and shutter speed.[3][21]

[22][23]

[24]


[25][26]

[27]

[28]

[29]

Operation[edit]

The Pocket Kodak was supplied with two instruction booklets – a "Field Primer" and "Darkroom Primer", whose contents were updated and combined into a single booklet with the release of the Model '96.[21]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ Sources disagree on whether manufacture ceased in 1900[3] or 1901,[4] although the Pocket Kodak is listed in the company's catalogue only for the first of these years.[5][6]
  2. ^ Equivalent to around $180 in 2022.[7]
  3. ^ The Pocket Kodak is unique amongst Kodak cameras in having used this film,[4] although the "Operette", made by the British firm Archer and Sons of Liverpool, also did so.[13]
  4. ^ (Black and white) film of the period was insensitive to red light.
  5. ^ Invented by Abner Tisdell, who obtained three patents between 1891 and 1895 covering variations of the same basic concept.[18][19][20]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "The Pocket Kodak [Advert]". The Cosmopolitan. Vol. 19, no. 6. 1895. ISSN 0010-9541. Retrieved 26 June 2022 – via HathiTrust.
  2. ^ Kodak Catalogue 1896 (PDF), Rochester, NY: Eastman Kodak, pp. 14–15, archived (PDF) from the original on 10 October 2020, retrieved 27 June 2022
  3. ^ a b c d Coe, Brian (1988). Kodak Cameras: The First 100 Years. Hove: Hove Foto. pp. 28–30. ISBN 9780906447444.
  4. ^ a b c History of Kodak Cameras (PDF), Rochester, NY: Eastman Kodak, March 1999, p. 13, archived (PDF) from the original on 9 July 2020, retrieved 26 June 2022
  5. ^ Kodaks 1900 (PDF), Rochester, NY: Eastman Kodak, 1899, p. 15, archived (PDF) from the original on 10 October 2020, retrieved 27 June 2022
  6. ^ A Catalogue of Kodaks and Kodak Supplies (PDF), Rochester, NY: Kodak Press, archived (PDF) from the original on 10 October 2020, retrieved 27 June 2022
  7. ^ "How much is a dollar from the past worth today?". MeasuringWorth. 2022. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
  8. ^ "Rushing Business". Trade. The Photo-Beacon. Vol. 7, no. 8. Chicago: Beacon Publishing Company. 1895. p. 287. Retrieved 1 July 2022 – via HathiTrust.
  9. ^ "New Kromskop Apparatus". The Camera. Vol. 4, no. 4. Philadelphia: Frank V. Chambers. 1900. p. 112. Retrieved 26 June 2022 – via HathiTrust.
  10. ^ Wickens-Feldman, Renate (2008). "Domestic and Family Photography". In Hannavy, John (ed.). Encyclopedia of Nineteenth-Century Photography. Vol. 1. New York: Routledge. pp. 431–434. ISBN 9780415972352. Retrieved 2 July 2022 – via Google Books.
  11. ^ Collins, Douglas (1990). The Story of Kodak. New York: Harry N. Abrams. pp. 75–76. ISBN 9780810912229.
  12. ^ "Pocket Kodak [Advert]". L'Illustration. Vol. 106, no. 2749. Paris. 2 November 1895. ISSN 0246-9251.
  13. ^ Sturmey, Henry (ed.). Photography Annual for 1898: A Compendium of Information and Statistics of the Year. London: Iliffe, Sons & Sturmey. p. 517. OCLC 10638120. Retrieved 27 June 2022 – via HathiTrust.
  14. ^ Sturmey, Henry (ed.). Photography Annual for 1896: A Compendium of Information and Statistics of the Year. London: Iliffe & Son. pp. 346–347. OCLC 10638120. Retrieved 27 June 2022 – via HathiTrust.
  15. ^ US 539713, Samuel N. Turner, "Photographic Film Roll", issued 21 May 1895  (filed 21 April 1892)
  16. ^ Viney, Mike; Carroll, Brian (2020). "Lens on the Past: Edward R. Baker of Fort Collins and His 1895 Pocket Kodak" (PDF). Colorado Heritage: The Journal of the Colorado Historical Society: 20–27. ISSN 0272-9377. Retrieved 26 June 2022 – via ResearchGate. Orignal print version free to read online or download with subscription/free trial via Scribd.
  17. ^ Pritchard, Colin (2008). "Turner, Samuel N. (active 1880s-1890s)". In Hannavy, John (ed.). Encyclopedia of Nineteenth-Century Photography. Vol. 2. New York: Routledge. p. 1412. ISBN 9780415972352. Retrieved 2 July 2022 – via Google Books.
  18. ^ US 464260, Abner G.Tidsell, "Photographic Camera Shutter", issued 1 Dec 1891  (filed 30 October 1890)
  19. ^ US 520972, Abner G.Tidsell, "Photographic-Camera Shutter", issued 5 June 1894, assigned to Joseph L. Levy (one half)  (filed 11 October 1892)
  20. ^ US 536242, Abner G.Tidsell, "Photographic Shutter", issued 26 March 1895, assigned to Tisdell Camera and Manufacturing Company of Scranton, Pennsylvania  (filed 14 June 1893)
  21. ^ a b Pocket Kodak Primer, Rochester, NY: Eastman Kodak Co., 1896, archived from the original on 31 August 2018, retrieved 11 July 2022
  22. ^ Pritchard, Michael (2008). "Camera Design 6: Kodak". In Hannavy, John (ed.). Encyclopedia of Nineteenth-Century Photography. Vol. 1. New York: Routledge. pp. 251–252. ISBN 9780415972352. Retrieved 2 July 2022 – via Google Books.
  23. ^ Harding, Colin (2008). "Brownell, Frank A. (1859-1939)". In Hannavy, John (ed.). Encyclopedia of Nineteenth-Century Photography. Vol. 1. New York: Routledge. pp. 224–225. ISBN 9780415972352. Retrieved 2 July 2022 – via Google Books.
  24. ^ "The Pocket Kodak". Photography. Vol. 7, no. 351. London: Iliffe & Son. 1895. p. 491. Retrieved 1 July 2022 – via HathiTrust.
  25. ^ US 317049, William H. Walker & George Eastman, "Roller-holder for Photographic Films", issued 5 May 1885, assigned to Dry Plate and Film Company of Rochester, New York  (filed 8 August 1884)
  26. ^ US 408596, George Eastman, "Camera", issued 6 Aug 1889, assigned to Dry Plate and Film Company of Rochester, New York  (filed 4 January 1889)
  27. ^ Kodak Catalogue 1897 (PDF), Rochester, NY: Eastman Kodak, p. 9, archived (PDF) from the original on 10 October 2020, retrieved 27 June 2022
  28. ^ 1898 Kodaks (PDF), Rochester, NY: Eastman Kodak, p. 8, archived (PDF) from the original on 10 October 2020, retrieved 27 June 2022
  29. ^ Kodaks 1899 (PDF), Rochester, NY: Eastman Kodak, 1898, p. 9, archived (PDF) from the original on 10 October 2020, retrieved 27 June 2022

External links[edit]

Category:Kodak cameras Category:Box cameras Category:Cameras introduced in 1895

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