Toronto. When Kodak invented their first camera and began marketing it in 1888, for the first time amateurs could take snaps on a roll film and send them elsewhere for processing. In this case sending the exposed film still in the camera and the camera back to Kodak where the roll of film was replaced, the previous roll developed and printed, and prints and camera returned.
By making picture taking easier, the audience for photographic products was expanded and the snapshot phenomenon took hold. Brian Coe wrote a book called “The Snapshot Photograph – The rise of popular photography 1888-1939”. Over time the snaps became more than just a recording of family events and history, but a means to illustrate the evolution of technology, fashion, and even humanity. Today, Facebook considers the most commonly used camera of all is that in the ubiquitous smart phone.
This photograph, thanks to a note from my good friend George Dunbar, is from a 2012 article on the Canada’s History website by Paul Jones titled, “Roots: Understanding Family Photos“. Click on the article link and read what Mr Jones has to say about the family snapshot.
The title of this post is from a 1940s movie of the same name.