For sale is a 1950s KODAK BROWNIE BULLET CAMERA with original strap from
the Eastman Kodak Company. The manufacture of this camera started in
1957 and was discontinued in 1964. The camera is in good condition but
is untested. The camera was acquired as a promotional item. For
example, a shopper could save up a required number Campbell soup labels
and then mail them in and Campbell's would send their customer a Brownie
Bullet camera as a promotional reward. The camera for sale has a black
plastic body with white controls. The camera used 127 format film and
the size of the photograph was 1 5/8 inches by 2 1/2 inches. A nice
collectible Brownie camera.
In 1880, George Eastman leased the third floor of a building on State
Street in Rochester N.Y. to manufacture dry plates. In 1888, Eastman
registered the trademark Kodak and produced the first model of the Kodak
camera. In 1889, the Eastman Company was formed and in 1892 was renamed
the Eastman Kodak Company. In 1895, the company made the first pocket
Kodak camera which sold for $5. In 1900, the Brownie camera was
introduced, creating a new mass market for photography. By 1920, an
"Autographic Feature" provided a means for recording data on the margin
of the negative at the time of exposure. In 1932, George Eastman
committed suicide at age 77. His suicide note read, "To my friends: My
work is done. Why wait?" As late as 1976, Kodak commanded 90% of film
sales and 85% of camera sales in the U.S. The emergence of digital
cameras sparked a death spiral for this iconic American company.