I’ve been taking photos for 50 years and counting but there’s always something new to learn. And something new to have. Until now, I’ve never owned a camera that was made in England, let alone an original Kodak Brownie 127, not least because it was discontinued the year I was born. And yet in its seven-year lifespan up to 1959, no less than 263,000 of these hugely popular plastic cameras were exported to the USA. I do remember seeing later models being sold in a shop in Cornwall, on childhood holidays, with a warning to ‘Beware of cheap imitations, this one melted in the sun’, a blob of an ex-camera taking pride of place on a storefront shelf.
The Brownie itself is a wonderful bit or retro kitsch, but the thing that’s almost priceless is the original pamphlet that came with it – all you need to know about photography on a double-sided sheet of folded paper. It’s entitled ‘How to get the best out of your Brownie 127 Camera with DAKON lens’, and is packed with top tips.
"You can take photos in color - but only in bright sunshine." Getting a Kodak Brownie for my birthday was better than any cake!
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