Brownie Points

While I was with my father on Sunday I asked him about the Kodak Brownie Folding Camera I had photographed the previous Sunday. His father had owned a camera answering to the description I gave him and he was very surprised to learn that it was still in existence. He said that my grandfather had apparently got some great results with it, so I asked if any were still in existence. He doubted it, but said he would have a look.

The next day he posted these two contact prints to me. It turned out, though, that his father's Brownie had taken 127 film, as in the smaller picture, whereas the one I had used 120 film. The other image was on 120 film but was taken with an earlier Kodak Brownie 120 that was made of cardboard and now lives in a museum. When I spoke to him on the phone about this he made mention of another Kodak Brownie which took 120 film and had a light leak - this was clearly the one I now have, complete with the light leak I had spoken of, but its history is now more obscure than it was before.

Both these pictures were taken on family holidays in Saltdean, near Brighton. The smaller picture was taken in September 1939 during the holiday when they heard Chamberlain's declaration of war speech - dramatically followed by an air raid warning, which thankfully proved to be a false alarm. My father is in the car with his two brothers. The car was named Apollo and was the first family car, a 1927 Austin 7 "Chummy" tourer, which conveyed them around the country until "called up" for military service early in World War II, used for instruction purposes by a Commando company.

L.
23.6.2011

Lens: Pentax 18-55mm

Day #453
Blip #451
Consecutive Blip #448

1 year ago: Eve, Longstones Field