George Eastman introduced the Kodak camera in 1888, making photography easier for ordinary consumers.
The original Kodak camera was sold loaded with a roll of flexible photographic film and marketed with the slogan, “You press the button, we do the rest.” Customers sent the camera back to Eastman’s company for processing, printing, and reloading.
Eastman did not invent photography or the first camera. Earlier pioneers such as Louis Daguerre and William Henry Fox Talbot created important photographic processes. Eastman’s major contribution was simplifying the equipment, film, and processing service so photography could reach a much broader public.
The Kodak company later helped popularize 35-millimeter film and became one of the most recognizable names in photography.