Snapshot

Snapshot, originally a hunting term referring to a shot taken without careful aim, was first applied to photography by English scientist Sir John Herschel in the 1860s. The foundation for snapshot photography was established by Eastman Dry Plate and Film Company in 1888 with the introduction of the Kodak camera and the accompanying photo-finishing industry.

In 1888 Kodak was the name of a camera rather than an entire company. Frank Brownell of Rochester, New York, manufactured the camera for Eastman Dry Plate & Film Company. After exposure, the still loaded camera was sent back to Frank Brownell, where the film was developed, printed and a new roll was added to the camera. They used the slogan, “You press the button, we do the rest.” As an early point and shoot camera, with its simplicity of use and freedom of the use of darkroom chemistry, the Kodak revolutionized the photographic market. It stood for convenience as the first successful camera to use roll film.

Kodak Camera 1888Eastman Dry Plate & Film Company, Rochester, New York.

In 1900 Eastman Kodak Company introduced the Brownie camera. It was an immediate public sensation with its simple design and inexpensive price.George Eastman’s insistence that all distributors sell the Brownie on consignment rather than allowing them to set their own prices, and the use of inexpensive materials in the camera’s construction allowed the company to control the camera’s $1 price tag and keep it within the consumers’ price range.The brownie also launched a family of almost two hundred models and accessories, which helped Kodak become a household name over the next sixty years.

Brownie1900Eastman Kodak Company, Rochester, New York.

SNAPSHOT

A Brief History of Cameras

The Baby Brownie was styled by Walter Dorwin Teague, it was a molded Bakelite bodied box camera. It embodied the 1930’s era of art deco, with its strong vertical ribs in a band around the camera. It used a No. 127 roll film and has a simple folding open finder and produced eight images on the film. The retail price of the Baby Brownie was the same as its original, the Brownie, $1. This meant every individual, irrespective of age, gender or race could afford to be a photographer without the extensive knowledge.

Baby Brownie ca. 1934Eastman Kodak Company, Rochester, New York.

In the 1940’s Ferrania Rondine branched out into cameras. Milan, Italy is famous for its industrial design, where even the most basic products are a blend of style and functionality. The Rondine was no exception. The compact camera had an all-metal construction, to contrast with the leather covering; the exposed surfaces were highly polished. It used the No. 127 film and used a Ferrania Linear 75mm f/8.8 lens to make eight 4 x 6.5 cm images. The only user-set controls were the lens, which was adjustable for focus. The single speed shutter release sat below the lens, next to a toggle for time exposures. The Rondine also added a socket for flash power cord, which made indoor photos possible.

Rondine ca. 1948Ferrania Fabbrica Apparecchi Fotografici, Milan Italy.

In 1963 the Kodak Instamatic 100 camera was introduced. The Instamatic line would stay in production for over twenty years, in various forms. The Instamatic 100 was a simple little box made of plastic; it had a fixed focus, a pop-up flash gun and a rapid lever wind. Its use of a drop-in cartridge was not novel. In the 1890’s attempts to utilize cartridge loading began, although none were as successful as the Kodak No. 126 cartridge, which revolutionized the snapshot industry.

Instamatic 100 1963Eastman Kodak Company, Rochester, New York.

Before the Kodak Fling 110 was introduced in 1987, the one-time-use or “disposable” camera concept had been tried many times. The Flings were simple cameras made of plastic, which were pre-loaded with 110-size film. After exposure the camera would be sent back to the photofinisher, to be cracked open and the film to be removed and processed. The Fling had a simple finder and a ridged thumb wheel advance. Kodak soon replaced the Fling 110 with the Fling 35 to keep up with competitors, whose cameras used 35mm, which made better images.

Fling 110 ca. 1987Eastman Kodak Company, Rochester, New York.