In 1888, the American George Eastman introduced a camera that revolutionized photography for the unskilled amateur. The Kodak came loaded with enough roll film for 100 exposures. When it was used up, the customer sent the entire camera to Eastman's factory. For $10, the pictures were developed and returned with the camera reloaded.
A good weekly factory wage was about $8 in 1888. At $25, the Kodak was a major purchase for many. Eastman sought to develop a less expensive camera and to reduce costs by making it possible for owners to load their own film. In 1895, he announced the Pocket Kodak. It was compact, could be loaded in daylight, and at $5 was the cheapest Kodak yet.
In 1900 Eastman introduced the Brownie. This was a smaller camera targeted to children but was soon embraced by all ages. In the first year, 100,000 cameras were sold at a cost of $1 each. Brownies were sold on the market until 1954.
Eastman's cameras launched the age of the modern camera.
