Life, 1901-03-21 · page 22 of 22
Life — March 21, 1901 — page 22: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is primarily a **Kodak camera advertisement**, not satire. The page promotes Eastman Kodak's "Folding Pocket Kodaks" to *Life* magazine readers. The image shows a **woman in period dress** (early 1900s) holding a folding camera, demonstrating the product's compact design. The ad emphasizes the camera's simplicity—"freedom from annoying details"—appealing to amateur photographers, particularly women, who were an emerging market for consumer cameras. The tagline "If it isn't an Eastman, it isn't a Kodak" establishes Kodak's market dominance. Prices ranged from $5-$35, with cheaper "Brownie Cameras" at $1.00, making photography accessible to middle-class consumers. The advertisement credits photographer **Rudolf Eickemeyer, Jr.**, suggesting professional endorsement. This represents early consumer marketing in the photography industry.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
LIFE™ If it isn’t an Eastman, it isn’t a Kodak. A simple mechanism and free- dom from annoying details make picture taking easy and certain with the FOLDING POCKET KODAKS. Ask your dealer or write us for a copy of ‘Pocket Kodak Portraiture.” It’s an instructive little book, delightfully illustrated by Rudo/f Eickemeyer, Jr. Kodaks, $5-00 to $35.00. Brownie Cameras, $1.00. EASTMAN KODAK CO., Rocuester..N. Y. comicbooks.com