In 1888 the first Kodak camera came out, allowing anyone (who could afford the initially high price) to take their own photographs, regardless of skill. The camera came pre-loaded with film, and after exposure you sent it to Eastman Kodak in Rochester. They sent you the camera back, re-loaded, along with your prints. All you had to do was press the button. The world of photography would never be the same.
Snapshots from the Kodak Number One and Number Two, 1888-1890. Those from the Library of Congress (taken in Washington DC) are all by Uriah Hunt Painter, an avid snapshooter. The original photographs aren't black and white, they're the same dark purple-brown and cream as the ones from the National Media Museum (gold-toned gelatin printing-out paper); they were photographed in black and white for reproduction.
Snapshots from the Kodak Number One and Number Two, 1888-1890. Those from the Library of Congress (taken in Washington DC) are all by Uriah Hunt Painter, an avid snapshooter. The original photographs aren't black and white, they're the same dark purple-brown and cream as the ones from the National Media Museum (gold-toned gelatin printing-out paper); they were photographed in black and white for reproduction.
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| Library of Congress |
A man and boy in front of the treasury, Washington DC. Source
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| National Media Museum |
Children wading in the sea. Source
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| Library of Congress |
A little girl in riding clothes, Washington DC. Source
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| Library of Congress |
A waffle vendor by the US Treasury, Washington, DC. Source
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| National Media Museum |
A woman reading. Source
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| Library of Congress |
A goat-drawn cart, Washington DC. Source
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| Library of Congress |
A man on a bicycle in Washington DC. Source
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| National Media Museum |
A woman at a market. Source
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| National Media Museum |
Children on a balcony. Source
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| National Media Museum |
Two men on a ship's deck. Source
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| National Media Museum |
Two children on a settee. Source
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| Library of Congress |
A woman and girl in an icy square, Washington, DC. Source
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| Library of Congress |
Two boys on horses, Washington DC. Source
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| Library of Congress |
A water pump on the street in Washington DC. Source
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| National Media Museum |
An itinerant beach photographer. Source
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| Library of Congress |
A horse-drawn sleigh, Washington DC. Source
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| National Media Museum |
A man reading on a balcony. Source
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| Library of Congress |
A little girl on the sidewalk, Washington DC. Source
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| Library of Congress |
The man on the left holds the same Kodak camera used to make these pictures. Washington, DC. Source
3 comments:
These are so great, I love the woman with her hand on her hip at the Market. I live about 30 minutes outside D.C so I can't help but look at the city in the background in the pictures and think where was/is this?!
<3Honeysuckelle
I never realized these very old snapshots were round. Apparently this format was chosen 'to ensure that the photographer didn’t have to hold the camera exactly level with the horizon, and to compensate for the poor image quality at the corners of the image.'
The cameras they used--Number One and Number Two Kodak-- also had no viewfinder, so it helped to have a pretty wide margin of error. Kodak has always been devoted to finding ways to minimizing the failures of snapshots, so people enjoy the process more... and buy more film!
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