Kodak Six-20 Brownie Junior (1934–1942)

The Six-20 Brownie Junior is a box camera Eastman Kodak produced from 1934 to 1942, and one source calls it "the popular Portrait Model." It was built to be simple and cheap. Kodak designed its Brownies as snapshot-takers that needed little to no focus or aperture adjustment. This Art Deco model was a bestseller, retailing for only $2.25 (about $41.72 in 2017 dollars). The front plate carries a strong, symmetrical geometric Art Deco pattern, and it makes the camera easy to spot.

The body was made mostly of paperboard, with metal replacing wood in the frame. Kodak kept to the principles that made the Brownies successful and modernized the construction. It shot 620 roll film, giving 6×9 cm images. Surviving examples are usually black. A note in the Six-20/Six-16 Brownie Junior manual says the Six-20 Brownie box camera was made by Kodak in the US and by Kodak Ltd. in the UK between May 1933 and April 1941. It also says the US and UK models were entirely different in both construction and Art Deco facia, so the production dates above should be read as covering the broader design family.

Beyond that, the record is thin. No lens or shutter specifications have surfaced, and no period reviews are documented. As one seller put it, it "offers a nostalgic charm for photography enthusiasts and collectors of vintage cameras."

Known specs:

- Film: 620 roll film

- Image format: 6×9 cm

- Production: 1934–1942

- Original price: $2.25

- Body: Paperboard/metal construction, Art Deco front plate