THE BABY HAWK-EYE
Blair
Camera Company, Boston, Massachusetts 1896-1898
Introduced in 1896 and offered through at least 1898, The Baby Hawk-Eye was aimed at those
not wanting to deal with the heft and complexity of larger plate (or roll film)
cameras of the mid-1890's. The
simplicity of its size and operation, and the convenience of daylight-loading roll
film, gave it the ability to produce a respectable 2 x 2-1/2 image.
Equipped with a brilliant viewfinder and an exposure
counter, the camera's dimensions at 2-1/2" x 3-1/4" x 4" were
just slightly larger than those of Eastman's Pocket Kodak. Its capacity was 12
exposures on "Sunlight Film", marketed by Blair and manufactured
expressly for Blair's Baby Hawk-Eye and Hawk-Eye, Jr. Cameras and for use in Blair's
New Model Roll Holders.
Blair Baby Hawk-Eye Eastman
Pocket Kodak
Competing with, and higher-priced than Eastman's Pocket
Kodak, relatively few Baby Hawk-Eyes were sold.
This is reflected in the very few examples that have surfaced.
The Baby Hawk-Eye is rarely seen, and this example is
accompanied by its equally if not more rare original box.