Kodak Beau Brownie
Built between 1930-1933, the Beau Brownie box cameras were essentially Kodak No.2 and No.2A Brownie cameras with an Art Deco facelift. They feature two-toned colorful fronts designed by Walter Dorwin Teague. Teague was a famed industrial designer and worked with Kodak for many years lending his touch to many of their cameras. The Beau Brownies were made in a series of different color schemes: blue, black, tan, green and rose. The latter two are the most rare, having been made only for the first couple of years of the production run.
In terms of function, the Beau Brownie is identical to the Kodak No.2/No.2A Brownie box cameras. The lens is a simple, uncoated doublet. The shutter is activated via a flip mechanism on the side of the camera and has two settings: T (Time mode) and I (Instant = 1/30th). Apertures are adjusted via a lever atop the camera that pulls up or pushes down to slide different aperture holes in front of the lens. Aperture choice was limited to f11, f16 and f22. Viewfinders on two sides of the camera allowed composition in either portrait or landscape orientations.
There is a simple, yet important, difference between a No.2 and No.2A version of this camera. The No.2 uses 120 film, which is easily found. Meanwhile the No.2A is meant for 116 film. This format was discontinued a long time ago, rendering No.2A versions of this camera more difficult to use. There are adapter kits that can be found that allow the loading of 120 film in these cameras, or one can use single shot paper negatives.
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