No 2 Kodak Camera

The Eastman Company

Name:	No 2 Kodak Camera
Manufacturer:	The Eastman Company
Country of Origin:	USA
Construction:	Leather covered wood box with string set shutter and integral rollholder. Front panel can be removed to provide access to the lens to adjust the aperture. Single circular reflecting finder.
Production Period:	1889 - 1897

 

Plate / Film Size:	60 or 100 exposure darkroom loaded (3½" diameter)
Lens:	Periscopic
Shutter:	Sector type, string set
Movements:	None
Dimensions (w x h x l):
Date of this Example:	c1892
Serial Number:	The serial "17232" is impressed into the leather at the top rear and is repeated at the top rear of the roll holder unit.
Availability:	Common  Uncommon  Hard to Find  Scarce
Inventory Number:	133

<Photographs to be added>

Description

Leather covered wooden box in good condition, though showing signs wear on leather, especially on the (unprotected) end faces The camera has spent its life in a case, the remains of which are still present (ends missing and fixing clasps broken). Shutter string has broken, but button has not been lost. This model has a rotating film counter introduced in 1892 according to Coe [4].

Note too that the label inside the front opening carries the name "The Eastman Company". According to Coe, this name was only used between 1889 and 1892 when it became EKC.

There is second label on the floor inside which reads When ordering supplies for this camera always specify FOR No. 2 KODAK.

Some wear to the leather covering, especially on the end faces. One minor area of damage to top right (looking from the front) where the surface has been worn away.

Remains of original case with camera. This consists of the fold-around side section. The ends are missing. The clasps that would hold the sides together have broken.

Notes

This seems to be one of the easiest to find of the string set Kodak cameras, although examples are hard to find outside the US. According to Coe [4], this likely reflects the fact that a significantly greater number were made than any of the other numbered models. This example was bought from a dealer in the US.