The Emergence of the Camera

The first photograph was taken c.1817, however the photographs were not permanent and eventually faded away.  In 1827, photographs were taken by coating a pewter plate with bitumen and exposing the plate to light. Where the light struck, the bitumen hardened, thus making the unhardened area dissolve away.

In the 1840s and 50s, camera makers experienced with different types of plates, and in the 1870s wet plates soon rivaled dry plates in speed and quality.  Shortened exposure time which made candid photography possible (ie. paparazzi), necessitated another innovation: the mechanical shutter. By the turn of the century, built-in shutters were common for each camera. 

This is the "Victo" -- short for the Victorian plate camera.

The Century Camera, founded in 1900.


This is the Brownie and the Yale camera, circa 1900. George Eastman's first camera, the Kodak .2 Brownie Box camera, offered a fixed-focus lens and single shutter speed. First offered for sale in 1888, it was a huge hit with consumers because it was a new and exciting invention for a relatively low cost. It came pre-loaded with film for 100 exposures and introduced the concept of the snapshot, soon leading to the movie camera. 

Here's an advertisement for children to own cameras of their own.