With the invention of the Kodak camera in 1888, photos became part of everyday life

THE NINETEENTH CENTURY SAW a rapid improvement in photographic technology. In 1839, Louis Jacques Mandé Daguerre invented the daguerreotype photo process, which utilized a silver plate and mercury to capture an image. Additional methods like calotypes, ambrotypes, and carte-de-visite made photography more accessible as the process became simpler and cheaper. Photography studios opened in cities like San Francisco and coastal towns like Fort Bragg.

The invention of the Kodak camera in 1888 created a mass market for photography. One camera was preloaded with film to capture 100 images. Once the film was used, the camera was mailed back to the company, which would develop the film, reload the camera, and send it back. Professional and amateur photographers alike could use the Kodak camera.