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Object Timeline

1934

  • Work on this object began.

2014

2015

2016

2025

  • 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.

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);....
  • Gift of George R. Kravis II.
  • 2015-41-2-a,b

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://www-5.collection.cooperhewitt.org/objects/68731017/ |title=Baby Brownie Camera and Packaging Camera |author=Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum |accessdate=13 July 2025 |publisher=Smithsonian Institution}}</ref>