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Object Timeline

1934

  • Work on this object began.

2014

2015

2016

2024

  • You found it!

Baby Brownie Camera and Packaging Camera

This is a camera. It was designed by Walter Dorwin Teague and manufactured by Eastman Kodak Company. It is dated ca. 1934 and we acquired it in 2014. Its medium is bakelite (tm), metal, glass; cardboard. It is a part of the Product Design and Decorative Arts department.

The design for the Kodak Baby Brownie presented a challenge for Walter Dorwin Teague. Kodak’s goals were to draw a new mass market to photography and Teague's resulting design is a picture of simplicity. The compact black body is composed of molded Bakelite, and a series of Art Deco ribs encircles the camera's contoured form. The Kodak Baby Brownie was wildly popular, and Teague’s thrifty yet sufficiently modern design is a significant factor in its success.

This object was donated by George R. Kravis II. It is credited Gift of George R. Kravis II.

This object has not been digitized yet.
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Our curators have highlighted 4 objects that are related to this one. Here are three of them, selected at random:

  • 1A Gift Kodak Camera And Box
  • leather-covered metal, chrome-plated and enameled metal, glass (camera);....
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Its dimensions are

H x W x D: 8 x 8.5 x 7.3 cm (3 1/8 x 3 3/8 x 2 7/8 in.)

Cite this object as

Baby Brownie Camera and Packaging Camera; Designed by Walter Dorwin Teague (American, 1883–1960); Manufactured by Eastman Kodak Company (United States); USA; bakelite (tm), metal, glass; cardboard; H x W x D: 8 x 8.5 x 7.3 cm (3 1/8 x 3 3/8 x 2 7/8 in.); Gift of George R. Kravis II; 2014-25-4-a,b

This object was previously on display as a part of the exhibition Energizing the Everyday: Gifts From the George R. Kravis II Collection.

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If you would like to cite this object in a Wikipedia article please use the following template:

<ref name=CH>{{cite web |url=https://collection.cooperhewitt.org/objects/68731017/ |title=Baby Brownie Camera and Packaging Camera |author=Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum |accessdate=23 April 2024 |publisher=Smithsonian Institution}}</ref>