In the 1880’s, photography required a large glass plate to record an image. Because of this, photographs had to be taken one at a time, and were only taken by professional photographers who developed the pictures themselves. In 1881, George Eastman developed a camera that used paper film instead of glass plates. This film was rolled up inside the camera, and could contain 100 pictures. The cameras never needed to be opened. When the film was finished, the camera was sent back to Rochester, New York, where the film was developed. This allowed anyone to be a photographer, as indicated in George Eastman’s slogan: “You push the button, we do the rest”. Roll film is still used in cameras today, although it is no longer made from paper.

*Pictures from Encarta Encyclopedia