Camera, Eastman Kodak, Brownie Starflash, USA, 1957-1959
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
1957-1959
Kodak Brownie Starflash camera, which was used and owned by Bill Boyd in the late 1950s. This popular snapshot camera was first made by Eastman Kodak in the USA in 1957 and manufacture continued until 1965. It is part of the Kodak Star range of cheap, easy to use cameras. It has a plastic body, fixed focus Dakon lens and used 127 roll film.
It has a built-in flash with a parabolic reflector and used a single, small flash bulb. The William Boyd Childhood Collection includes most of the childhood possessions of William (Bill) Boyd, who was born in 1947 and raised in the Victorian town of Maryborough. Kept by Lillian Boyd (Bill's mother) for decades, upon her death the Collection was donated by Bill to the former Museum of Childhood at Edith Cowan University in Western Australia. When the Museum of Childhood closed it was transferred to Museum Victoria. Brownie Starflash Camera with black moulded plastic body and black strap, in original box with Instruction Manual.
Evidence at a glance
- Linked sources
- 1
- Photograph views
- 2
- Catalogue references
- 0
Counts describe this entry’s documentation, not authenticity, rarity or completeness. Photographs may show one specimen; check each caption and licence.
Historical context
The Collection demonstrates a range of prominent themes in the lives of postwar Victorian children, such as the ability to 'make do' under austere circumstances; the shift in toy manufacture towards plastic materials and mass production; the continuing cultural influence of Britain; the increasing embrace of American popular culture; the prominence of gender roles; and the popularity of transport and war themed toys for boys.
Physical characteristics
- Dimensions
- Overall Dimensions: 90 mm (Width), 57 mm (Depth), 140 mm (Height)
Technical characteristics
- Maker recorded
- Eastman Kodak Company
- Place recorded
- United States of America
Identification
- Source note
- Transcribed from the Museums Victoria, Melbourne collection record for this single object (sentences kept verbatim apart from removed sale or rarity wording); how far it represents a wider collectible type has not been independently verified.
- Candidate id
- mv-1364423
- Museum object name
- Camera - Eastman Kodak, Brownie Starflash, Rochester, USA, circa 1957
- Holding institution
- Museums Victoria, Melbourne
- Museum object number
- HT 18834
- Published references
- https://www.brownie-camera.com/36.shtml
Catalogue references
No catalogue numbers recorded. Numbers are only published once transcribed from a verified edition of a standard catalogue — they are never inferred.
Research required
- Research required: confirm the wider type, maker and dating against a specialist reference; this entry documents one recorded example.