Kodak Brownie

Among the cameras I have been collecting for most of my life, I happened to unpack this "Brownie Bullet." This camera was intended as a promotional copy of the "Holiday Flash" which was the first camera I actually began shooting with. It was distributed as a "freebie" and was given away at various retail locations. The camera was originally designed by Arthur Hunt Crapsey. It was introduced in 1957 and available until 1964. Using 127 roll film (some of you may remember film) the "photographer" could shoot 12 exposures. Made of plastic "Bakelite" it was a strong and sturdy camera for the amateur. I recently removed this camera from one of my many boxes of collectables and found it to be in very good condition. Since it is essentially my very first camera, I decided to include it in my story. Out of curiosity I removed the back of the camera and discovered a roll of film still intact. There is a small possibility that the film may still contain images, depending on how much  light or excessive heat have damaged it. I am going to attempt to develop it and find out! Simple to operate by looking through the viewfinder and pressing the shutter button was all that was necessary to "snap" a picture. Hence the origin of the pre "selfie" term "snapshot." One early glitch was that the shutter could easily be released resulting in multiple exposure images. The little red window was intended to help keep track of the number of exposures remaining. The printed number would show through giving some degree of warning. I will be sharing more about my favorite cameras periodically.