From

North Sydney Heritage Centre, Stanton Library

Name/Title

Camera, Kodak Vest Pocket Autographic 127

About this object

Camera, Kodak Vest Pocket Autographic 127. Black painted body, single lens, folding leather bellows in trellis struts, autographic window on reverse for stylus. Brown leather case with carrying strap.

Inscription scratched onto reverse: '17th Battery, 6th FA [Field Artillery] Brigade [name scratched out]'. The 17th Battery fought at the Somme in 1916.

The Vest Pocket Kodak camera, or VPK, was one of the most popular cameras of its day. Over 2 million were sold between 1912 and 1926. In 1913 an American inventor, Henry Gaisman, had taken out a series of patents for a roll film with thin tissue between the film and backing paper. Using a metal stylus, photographers could write information on negatives that would appear on finished prints. Kodak bought Gaisman's patent rights for the huge sum of $300,000 and the entire range of folding Kodak cameras were redesigned to use autographic film. The introduction of the Autographic VPK coincided with a boom in camera sales linked with the outbreak of the First World War. Many soldiers bought cameras to record their experiences. The VPK was widely advertised as The Soldier’s Kodak. In 1914 about 5,500 VPKs were sold in Britain. The following year, this increased to over 28,000. [Source: http://nationalmediamuseumblog.wordpress.com/2014/03/13/the-vest-pocket-kodak-was-the-soldiers-camera/]

Maker

Eastman Kodak Co

Maker Role

Manufacturer

Date Made

[1915-1926]

Place Made

Rochester (N.Y.)

Medium and Materials

metal, leather, glass

Inscription and Marks

Marked on case: 'Manufactured by Kodak Australia Ltd'.

Subject and Association Description

Audio and visual equipment

Object Type

Photographic equipment

Object number

2014.149.1

Rights and permissions for this content

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 Rights

Creative Commons - Attribution - Non-commercial

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