"Bantam Special"
Walter Dorwin Teague was one of the first industrial designers in America. In the 1930s, he was introduced by Richard Bach, a curator at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, to the Eastman Kodak Company, for which he developed the Bantam Special camera in 1936. One in a line of lightweight cameras manufactured by the company, the Bantam Special combined a number of design elements typical of the era. The horizontal lines drew upon an American focus on streamlining, while the curved edges recalled art moderne. The Bantam was smaller than most cameras of the period, because Kodak had developed a special unperforated film for the Bantam series that required less space than the standard 35 mm sprocketed film. Teague designed the protective clamshell casing, which made the Bantam Special one of the first pocket cameras.
Artwork Details
- Title: "Bantam Special"
- Designer: Walter Dorwin Teague (American, Decatur, Indiana 1883–1960 Flemington, New Jersey)
- Manufacturer: Eastman Kodak Co. (American)
- Date: 1936
- Medium: Metal, enamel
- Dimensions: 3 1/4 in. × 5 in. × 2 in. (8.3 × 12.7 × 5.1 cm)
- Classification: Machines & Appliances
- Credit Line: John C. Waddell Collection, Gift of John C. Waddell, 2002
- Object Number: 2002.585.14
- Curatorial Department: Modern and Contemporary Art
More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Walter Dorwin Teague
Silks Beau Monde, Marshall Field & Company
1933
Walter Dorwin Teague
Edwin W. Fuerst
1939
Walter Dorwin Teague
Edwin W. Fuerst
1939
Walter Dorwin Teague
Eastman Kodak Co.
1930
Walter Dorwin Teague
Eastman Kodak Co.
1930
Research Resources
The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.
To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.
Feedback
We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.