In the late 1800s and early 1900s, the Eastman Kodak Company started introducing the first cameras truly suited to amateur photographers: small, easy to use, and capable of being loaded and unloaded without access to a darkroom.
These early Kodak cameras were perfectly suited to an emerging market: young women, eager to take advantage of the freedoms that were slowly being granted to them. In 1893, the first ‘Kodak Girl’ was introduced: carefree, adventurous, and independent.
The Kodak Girl: Women in Kodak Advertising | Ryerson Archives & Special Collections
The Martha Cooper Collection
(Note: like a lot of early advertising, this particular image is uncredited. If you know the artist’s name, please let me know.)
Reghan Skerry 