Photography has been around for more than 175 years. Until 1900, it was primarily a challenging chemical process practiced only by the inventive and adventurous. Prior to the beginning of the last century George Eastman changed history with the introduction of easy to use roll film complete with a process that left the photo finishing to others.

This exhibit will attempt to demonstrate many facets of photography during the 20th century, using a display of cameras and photo accessories. Although professional equipment has played a significant role in recording famous events, millions of amateur cameras permitted individuals to record their own piece of history. Several of the items are firsts of their type and represent breakthroughs resulting from the introduction of new technology, often in combination with a new film format. As we enter the digital revolution, it is extremely important to recognize the contributions of the century past and the importance of film based medium.

The cameras, accessories and photographs for this collection have been placed in various sections in order to illustrate the progress of photography during the 20th century.

Choose from among the categories on the left sidebar to view Cameras from any period (early, middle, late etc...) or simply begin by clicking the "Next" button found above and to the right.