On this day in 1881, David Henderson Houston of Wisconsin patented roll film for cameras. That invention—along with later improvements and George Eastman's portable cameras—helped bring photography to the masses.
Point and Shoot
On this day in 1881, David Henderson Houston of Wisconsin patented roll film for cameras. That invention—along with later improvements and George Eastman's portable cameras—helped bring photography to the masses.
Our catalogue American Photographs: The First Century documents some of the most influential early photographers and their stunning work. Order the book online during October and receive a 20 percent discount!
Both the printed book and online exhibition include this beautiful image by Gertrude Kasebier.
The setting for this photograph is possibly the Kasebier residence on Long Island.… The woman is probably one of Kasebier's daughters, either Gertrude or Hermine; the other figures are Kasebier's grandchildren. Unlike her studio portraits, this record of a family gathering contains a degree of spontaneity. Her control of the image is evident, however, in the careful grouping, selective focusing, and effects of light and shadow. The striped patterns of the boys smocks, for example, are matched by the patterns of light on the white dresses of mother and daughter.
Pictured top: Gertrude Kasebier, 1852–1934, The Garden Party, about 1905, platinum print on paper, 9 5/8 x 7 5/8 in., Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase from the Charles Isaacs Collection made possible in part by the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment.
Source: Merry A. Foresta. American Photographs: The First Century (Washington, D.C.: National Museum of American Art with the Smithsonian Institution Press, 1996).
Pictured bottom: Book cover of American Photographs: The First Century.