Bullet Camera
Decorative Arts and Design
On View: American Art Galleries, 5th Floor, Counterparts
MEDIUM
Bakelite, glass, aluminum, paper
DATES
1936–1942
DIMENSIONS
2 3/4 × 4 7/8 × 1 7/8 in. (7 × 12.4 × 4.8 cm)
mount: 2 3/4 × 4 3/4 × 3 in. (7 × 12.1 × 7.6 cm)
(show scale)
MARKINGS
Marked on front of camera, raised letters on ring framing lens: "BULLET / CAMERA"
On back of camera, raised letters below viewfinder: "MADE IN U.S.A. BY EASTMAN KODAK CO. ROCHESTER, N.Y."
ACCESSION NUMBER
1998.143.4
CREDIT LINE
Gift of Eva, Alan, and Louis Brill
CATALOGUE DESCRIPTION
Hand-held "Bullet" camera with streamlined, black Bakelite body, chromed metal accents, and glass lens. Rectangular body has curved sides and back; raised parallel horizontal lines run across back and front. Centered on front, a protruding convex disk with raised ring in center framing lens; shutter release lever and another button (both chromed metal) on either side of lens. Each side has chromed metal bracketing, proper left bracket attached with screws. Centered on the back is a rose-colored, round, glass port to allow the film's frame numbers to be noted and to avoid double exposures; the port also indicates when the last frame has been exposed and the roll is ready to be extracted. In center on top, chromed metal mount for flash. On bottom, proper right side is a dial for advancing film.
CONDITION: Good; light scratches all over body; chromed metal somewhat tarnished.
CAPTION
Walter Dorwin Teague (American, 1883–1960). Bullet Camera, 1936–1942. Bakelite, glass, aluminum, paper, 2 3/4 × 4 7/8 × 1 7/8 in. (7 × 12.4 × 4.8 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Eva, Alan, and Louis Brill, 1998.143.4. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 1998.143.4_front_PS22.jpg)
IMAGE
front, 1998.143.4_front_PS22.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph, 2024
"CUR" at the beginning of an image file name means that the image was created by a curatorial staff member. These study images may be digital point-and-shoot photographs, when we don\'t yet have high-quality studio photography, or they may be scans of older negatives, slides, or photographic prints, providing historical documentation of the object.
RIGHTS STATEMENT
Creative Commons-BY
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Who made this camera?
This "Bullet Camera" was designed by Walter Dorwin Teague and manufactured by Eastman Kodak Co. around 1937. The black exterior is streamlined, or made to look aerodynamic, with smooth bakelite (a kind of plastic) and horizontal lines.
This retired photographer thanks you.
![Recto: [Untitled] (Man in Boat)
Verso: [Untitled] (Beach Scene)](https://d1lfxha3ugu3d4.cloudfront.net/images/opencollection/objects/size2_sq/1999.143a_SL1.jpg)
