Kodak Target Brownie Six-20 (1941–1946)

A basic metal box camera introduced in 1941, made for simple snapshots on 620 roll film.

Overview

The Kodak Target Brownie Six-20 is a basic box camera from Kodak, made for amateurs who wanted something cheap and easy to use. It came out in April 1941 as part of the long-running Brownie series, which aimed to get photography into the hands of families and casual users. The body is a metal box with art deco styling. Kodak marketed it as American-made, built to last and simple to operate. It uses 620 roll film and makes negatives measuring 2 1/4 x 3 1/4 inches (6 x 9 cm), which is bigger than many consumer cameras of the era gave you. The lens is a fixed 100mm meniscus, non-interchangeable, and it sits behind the shutter for better protection and optical performance.

Specifications

Type	Basic box camera
Film Format	620 film
Picture Size	2 1/4 x 3 1/4 inches (6 x 9 cm)
Lens	Fixed meniscus lens, 100mm focal length
Years Produced	1941–1946 (conflicting sources: 1941 only, or 1941–1952)
Original Price	$2.75
Dimensions	3-3/4" high x 3-3/4" wide x 2-1/2" deep
Construction	Metal box

Design

The camera is a metal box with art deco design elements, and it looks distinctive for its time. The fixed lens is mounted behind the shutter, which protects the lens and simplifies the optical path. The styling follows 1940s industrial design trends, with a functional layout and some visual appeal.

Context

The Target Brownie Six-20 arrived in the early 1940s, just before the U.S. entered World War II, when consumer goods production was getting tighter. Kodak kept releasing new models anyway, and it positioned the Six-20 as an accessible option for home photographers. It shares design lineage with other Brownie models. Two things set it apart: the larger 6×9 cm negative format and the metal body, which differed from earlier plastic-bodied variants.