Storeroom Stories: Rainbow Hawkeye No. 2A Folding Model B

Rainbow Hawkeye No. 2A Folding Model B

Rainbow Hawkeye No. 2A Folding Model B

By Lydia Smith & Jesse Teague

The Rainbow Hawkeye No. 2A Folding Model B was built in 19311932. There are many other styles of the Rainbow Hawkeye and this is the rarest one since it was only made for a year. The special thing about this camera is that it came in color options. It was now marketed to everyday people. They emphasized the small size of the camera so that the buyer would see how portable it was to carry around for everyday events.

The cameras that came before the Rainbow Hawkeye No. 2A Folding Model B are slightly different. The No. 3A Folding Autographic Brownie was made from 19161926. It was special for its film. The film was created so that you could write on the back of it. It was mainly used for people to remember a location, time, or settings that were used to take the picture. People also wrote their signatures on the film to verify it was their photograph. This camera was also one of the first to have rounded edges.[1] The No 2A Folding Cartridge 1 Hawkeye Model B was created in 19261934. It was slightly smaller than the No. 3A. This model had special lenses so that the images were presented more clearly. The No. 1A Pocket Kodak Series II was built from 19281932. It was much smaller in size, closer to the size of the Rainbow Hawkeye No. 2A Folding Model B. It was built with a Meniscus Achromatic lens in Kodex shutter. It also offered a few color options, but not as many options as the No. 2A Folding Model B.[2]

The Rainbow Hawkeye No. 2A Folding Model B came in many color options. It came in blue, brown, green, old rose, and black. The exterior was covered in a fake leatherette bounding. It cost $9 to buy the camera then, and now it goes for $25-75.[3] It also had a single 3 achromatic or
RR lens. This camera was available for premium purchases and at times featured in Eastman
Kodak’s catalogs.[4]

1. “Retired Cameras.” Retired Cameras . N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Dec. 2015.
2. Britton, Rebecca. “Types of Cameras Used in the 1930s.” EHow . Demand Media, n.d. Web. 15 Dec. 2015.
3. “No 2A Folding Rainbow HawkEye Model B Camera.” National Media Museum . N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Dec. 2015.
4. “Kodak HawkEye Cameras.” the Brownie Camera Page . N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Dec. 2015.

This entry was posted in Connections and tagged . Bookmark the permalink. Both comments and trackbacks are currently closed.
Skip to toolbar