What rollfilm format did the original Kodak Brownie use?

The original Kodak Brownie used No. 117 rollfilm.

Introduced in 1900, the original Brownie was a simple cardboard box camera made by Eastman Kodak. It used No. 117 rollfilm and produced square images measuring about 2¼ by 2¼ inches. The camera’s straightforward design and low price made photography accessible to a mass audience, including children and first-time photographers.

No. 117 is easy to confuse with other Kodak rollfilm formats. No. 120 became one of the best-known medium-format standards, while No. 127 was used in later compact cameras. The original Brownie’s film choice was a specific part of its early design, not a generic reference to all Brownie models. Later cameras in the extensive Brownie family used several different film formats, including 120, 127, 116, and 620.

The first Brownie cost one dollar when launched. Its name came from the popular Brownie characters associated with illustrator Palmer Cox, whose figures also appeared in the camera’s marketing.