Back in 1914 Kodak introduced the Autographic System; the combination of an autographic camera and film allowed the user to permanently sign, date and title a negative as it was shot. This was done using a metal stylus to write on a small piece of carbon paper accessed through a window in the back of the camera - essentially it was metadata nearly a century before the prevalence of digital photography... Kodak discontinued it’s autographic film/camera in 1932 so this lovely little enamel sign can be dated to around the 1920s.

 

This sign is an excellent example (especially considering it’s age) with a great gloss and minimal losses; to be fussy, there is some nibbling to the enamel around the edges of the sign, some very light surface scratching and some small vertical 'splinters' to the enamel (see the second photo along) as well as a tiny patch to the black enamel just below the orange film box - this was probably done during it's manufacturing if the enamel layer was looking a little too thin. These slight imperfections aside, this is a very unusual piece that's nice and bright with good impact and some lovely detail to the film packet.

 

The sign measures 63.5cm wide x 28cm high.