F

FAMILY PHOTOGRAPHY

Twentieth-century family photography was a col-
lage of technologies and practices, some dating to
the advent of the medium, others incorporating
social and scientific advances emblematic of the
times. Studio portraiture, for instance, whether
practiced by highly regarded artists, storefront en-
trepreneurs, or street or itinerant photographers,
remained an essential source of family images. The
street photographer was even mechanized in 1928
with the introduction of automatic photography
booths (‘‘photo-mats’’). And, as in the nineteenth
century, family photography could also be under-
stood to include the constant stream of photojourn-
alism, advertising, and other forms of commercial
photography that flooded into the home.
Important as these practices were, what distin-
guished twentieth-century family photography was
the preponderance of nonprofessionals producing
personal images. The making of photographs be-
came a consumer project with the photographic in-
dustry constantly expanding and retooling to meet
the consumer’s needs. The century’s largest single
photographic enterprise, Kodak, invented and sus-
tained itself by providing the means for family
imagery. Major innovations in photographic tech-
nology—if not originally conceived for the family
market—came to be adapted for it. The facility and

growing sophistication of even the most basic cam-

eras made personal images into the building blocks

of lifelong visual narratives. As a result, the prac-

tices that constituted family were discussed as part

of a larger understanding of change in twentieth-

century culture, art, and history.

Technology

The technology of twentieth-century family photo-

graphy was irrevocably shaped by George East-

man’s 1888 Kodak camera and its promise of

‘‘you take the picture and we do the rest.’’ East-

man took full advantage of advances such as dry

plate photography, roll film, daylight loading car-

tridge, industrial-scale photo processing, and ear-

lier roll cameras. By 1900, the success of the Kodak

camera and industrial processing of its film had

resulted in Eastman’s marketing of another eight

models. These, like all Kodak products, were pro-

moted by Kodak’s aggressive advertising cam-

paigns as well as by the company’s pressure on

merchants to sign exclusive marketing agreements.

At the turn of the century, Kodak enjoyed a lea-

dership role in the new home photography indus-

try that included a half million dollars in annual

camera sales.