Kodak’s $6.75US timer in colour. Click on it to see the full 1951 gift suggestion ad.
Toronto. Well this is either a few months late or a lot of months early for Christmas! My thanks to George Dunbar for sharing this piece of history with us – a December 1951 ad from Kodak in Popular Mechanics (the small icon is my own Kodak Timer, bought used over 60 years ago).
Like today, all retail stores and many manufacturers promote their products as excellent gifts. For many buyers who were at a loss, it was a bit of a struggle. Books? Clothes? Food? Money? Jewellery? And the list goes on. But! Christmas was an easy time if you had a budding photographer in your family.
Like many photographic product makers and sellers, Kodak joined the annual excitement. Their 1951 ad suggests nearly 50 accessories you could purchase and wrap for your budding photographer. Not shown were the huge variety of Kodak kits, cameras, movie gear, etc. also available for giving.
Note. The post title is a riff on a line in the 1933/4 song “Summertime” sung here in 1957 by Ella and Louie.
