Kodak Six-20 Brownie Special (c. 1938)

The Kodak Six-20 Brownie Special is a simple American-made box camera from the late 1930s. These metal-bodied Kodaks turn up at flea markets and estate sales with surprising regularity. It was wedge-shaped, with a metal body covered in black leatherette, and it shot 620 roll film producing 6×9 cm exposures. A 1938 production date is commonly cited in listings and blog accounts, and the original price was $6.00.

What little documentation exists comes from owners rather than period literature. The camera is frequently praised for its simplicity. One owner on a Flickr forum noted "there's nothing to break on it," and the design is often described as charming, particularly the always-on viewfinder and the leather strap on top. One blogger noted the strap was genuinely useful for carrying the small camera. Another owner, writing about returning to film with a 1938 Six-20 Brownie, called it "a fun yet sometimes frustrating experiment," largely because 620 film requires respooling from 120 stock these days.

A related model, the Kodak Six-20 Flash Brownie, was a flash-synchronized version of the Special. It shared the sheet-metal body and the 6×9-on-620 format. The Special itself appears to have had no built-in flash provision.

The record on this model is thin. No detailed specifications - lens aperture, shutter speeds, dimensions or weight - have surfaced in the research, and no period magazine reviews have been located. What is known comes mostly from dealer listings and owner accounts. Surviving examples are common and inexpensive. One listing showed a "Kodak Six-20 Brownie Special Classic Box Camera" at $30.00.

Known facts, summarized: