Autographic cameras, please explain the concept.

OK, i know that Autographic Kodaks allowed you to write on the film backing paper with a stylus thru a

flip-up door on the back of the camera. My question is...how did this writing get on the film? Did

writing on the backing paper cause it to become transparent?..thus exposing the film?

Does anyone have an example of autographic writing on a vintage negative?

The autographic feature did indeed work you describe, you would write on the backing paper, making it transparent. You would then hold the camera with the open door towards the light and it would leave an imprint of the text on the film. Some additional information about

<a target=_blank href="http://kodak.3106.net/index.php?p=511">Kodak's autographic feature</a> can be found on my Kodak website.

Mischa

You've got an excellent site.

thanks for the kind words Gene.

As for negatives with autographic writing, I have never seen them, maybe it was never that popular, at least not in Europe or maybe most negs from those days, we're mainly talking 1910-1920s I presume, have been lost since. I remember in my childhood days we used to play with my dad's 1950s-1960 negs so they must have severe scratches and finger prints and what not. The same could have happened to negs from even an older generation. Even glass plates from those days can be had for next to nothing, and I know from many people they've been thrown away when mum/grandma passed away. But anyone having some negatives with autographic writing, I would be glad to put them on the website, very curious myself.