I've seen cameras like this in shops and on ebay many times. I've never really felt the urge to lay out the few bucks they go for and take a chance, but having one dropped in my lap is pretty much impossible to ignore. This one came out of my Mother-In-Law's home. Since it pre-dates her and her deceased husband, I can only speculate that it came from the generation before.
As you can see from the name plate, it's a #1 Autographic Kodak Jr. Cameras of this general type were built from 1914 to 1927 (approx). As near as I can tell, this particular model was built in 1914 only. That makes it about 95 years old!
Condition is really very good. Sure, the leather is a little rough around the edges, but the bellows are soft and seem light tight and the shutter and aperture are working perfectly. That's pretty amazing for a camera that likely hasn't seen the light of day for 50 years or more. Kodak sure built these babies well.
The camera was built to take A120 film. What is "A"120 film you ask? Well, that "A" ties in to the "Autographic" name. Apparently the film had a carbon paper backing that allowed the user to write on the negative after a picture was taken. There's a little narrow rectangular door on the back of the camera that gave access to the back of the negative. The user would take the shot, open the door, and use a supplied stylus to make a quick note, "Aunt Sally by the Seaside," or something to that effect. Once the note was made, you simply left the door open for a short time to allow that portion of the negative to be exposed from behind. The note made in carbon would naturally block the light. As a result, the note was transferred to the negative.
Very clever. Of course, no one has made film anything like that for maybe 60 or 70 years now. The good news is that, other than the carbon paper bit, A120 film is simply 120 film. I've got a fridge full of that!
So, what we have here is a nearly 100 year old shooter that takes readily available film. The camera has one minor issue that has to be addressed. The red window (used for viewing the numbers on the film's paper backing) has come loose. A couple of drops of glue will put that right and I'll load her up to see what she can do.
Update: Ended up, I needed to replace the red window. I cut a piece of red clear plastic from a file folder tab in my office and that worked pretty well in place of the crumbling original red window.
This is a fun camera to shoot, but it is challenging. The little mirror finder does just enough good to get you pointed in the right direction, but not so much good that you can actually tell what will be on the film. WISYIG it ain't. Even so, with care, you can get pretty close.
I ran a roll through at a horse show and came up with 2 that seemed worth sharing.
Horse show refreshments...with a light leak I need to track down.
Cowboy Time
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