Today, we are used to picking up a small camera and popping it into a pocket, ready to use at any time. At the beginning of the last century, taking a photograph was a very long and cumbersome process until Kodak came along with their Vest Pocket Cameras.
The Soldier's Camera
Kodak began manufacturing these Vest Pocket Kodak (VPK) cameras between 1912 and 1926. They were often advertised as "The Soldier’s Camera" because they were small enough to slip into a vest or jacket pocket ready to take away to the trenches during World War 1.
Vest Pocket Cameras are now very collectible and not that expensive. They were manufactured following the Folding Pocket Kodak that was made by the Eastman Kodak Company between 1897 and 1905. This was the first collapsible camera which was very popular but had disadvantages. It was made of wood, aluminum and leather, with wooden screws and quite heavy.
Improved design
Kodak decided to improve the design using mainly aluminum as a shell for the VPK, which was held together with metal screws. This made a small, strong lightweight camera. It cost half the price of its predecessor and was immediately a success. Painted black and with the escutcheon plate around the lens in brass, it looked very smart.
It worked well, too. The first VPKs off the production line had a meniscus lens, a lens that is convex on one side and concave on the other, behind a ball-bearing shutter.
VPK Special cameras were then introduced. They were a great improvement on the original VPKs because they were fitted with multi-element lenses that produced a better quality photograph.
Extra benefit
In 1915 Kodak added another benefit. After a photograph was taken, it was possible to open a small aperture at the back of the camera so that a few words could be written on part of the backing paper. A metal stylus was provided to do this and the pressure from the stylus would imprint the message onto the film. This was done in the small space between the photographs. When the film was wound on, this procedure could be repeated after each exposure. All VPKs had this ‘autographic’ extra until production stopped in 1926.
If you are collecting these cameras you should inspect them very carefully before committing yourself to buying. Some owners would scratch their names and often their addresses on these cameras. Others would have their names carefully inscribed. Any damage or inscriptions can take away some of the value.
Source: Kodak VPK Manual
Judi Theobald - I have been writing since I was a child and as I grew up so I began to write professionally. One of my strongest assets is my quest for ...
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