The Brownie was a series of camera models made by Eastman Kodak and first released in 1900. It introduced the snapshot to the masses by addressing the cost factor which had meant that amateur photography remained beyond the means of many people, the Pocket Kodak, for example, would cost most families in Britain nearly a whole month's wages.

The Kodak Brownie Hawkeye was made from 1949-1961 for the original price of $7.00. It’s made of Bakelite and was designed by Kodaks own designer Arthur Hunt Crapsey Jr with a design aesthetict that is a throw-back to the Art Deco era of the 1920's. It was one of many easy to use cameras Kodak Eastman made for the everyday person who simply wanted to take snap shots of their everyday life.

The camera is designed to take 620 film which is discontinued. The film load area fits 35mm film which is smaller than the cameras exposure area where the entire film is exposed.