From the seller: It belonged to my grandmother, Sadie Seaton who was married to Glenn Seaton and they lived in Abbyville KS when she bought the camera . My grandfather was principal of high school there and later in life became Reno county superintendent ( which is no longer).

Online Research: Your Kodak No. 2-A Folding Autographic Brownie (serial 11206) was manufactured in late 1915 or early 1916.

Historical Context

Produced between 1915 and 1926, this camera represents the exact moment when photography transformed from an expensive, highly technical hobby into a portable, everyday storytelling tool for the middle class.

The single most fascinating feature of this camera is the word Autographic. In 1914, George Eastman bought the rights to an invention by Henry J. Gaisman for an astronomical $300,000 (millions in today’s money). It was the world’s first primitive version of a camera data-back.

Up until this era, box cameras (like the original cardboard Brownies) were bulky cubes. The folding design allowed the lens board to slide out on a metal track supported by flexible, light-tight leather bellows.

When folded down, the camera was incredibly slim—marketed as something that could easily slip into a gentleman’s coat pocket or a lady’s handbag. It made carrying a camera anywhere effortless, paving the way for the modern concept of the “snapshot.”