The first compact camera Kodak No. 1: Instagram of the XIX century

133 years ago, a patent was obtained for a camera fueled with photographic film, and the Kodak trademark was registered.

There was a time when we didn't even have a smartphone in our pocket to take a picture of our lunch, pussy, girlfriend and show it to the whole Twitter with Facebook. It was the time when Mr. George Eastman (1854-1932) had just introduced the first publicly available (well, almost) Kodak number one camera to the world. The name Kodak-specially invented to be understandable in all languages-will become a brand name.

"Kodak No. 1" was a primitive device-just a wooden box upholstered in leather. However, it was light enough that you could take it with you everywhere. It was extremely simple to handle: it was enough to turn the key to rewind the film to the frame, pull the cord to raise the shutter, and press the button to take a picture.

There was no viewfinder, the photographer simply pointed the box with the lens at the subject. The buyer no longer worried about the film — the device was sold charged for about 100 pictures. When the film was finished, the camera was delivered to the Kodak company, which developed the film and made prints. They were sent to the client together with a new film for 100 frames. The photos of this camera are easily identified by their round shape with a diameter of 6.3 cm (2.5 inches).

The extreme ease of handling made this box very popular among the first amateur photographers.

The photos that we will show you below were taken 125 years ago and show scenes of everyday life — in contrast to the staged photos that were popular in that era. Dad takes pictures of his daughters, his wife or an elephant in the zoo. The locomotive, the train station, the fisherman are forever imprinted. Most of all, of course, pictures of children.

What is surprising about these photos is their modernity. If you exclude the color and style of clothing, then it is quite possible to put likes on Facebook. By the way, the cost of "Kodak No. 1" (465 euros for today's money) is comparable to the price of a smartphone, only now you do not need to send the device to the company in order to see your creations!