Eastman patents a camera that needs no darkroom skill at all

Photography in 1888 still belonged to professionals who hauled glass plates and chemical baths into the field. In September 1888, George Eastman received U.S. Patent No. 388,850 for a camera built around his roll film instead of plates; the Kodak trademark was registered that same month. The $25 box came loaded with film for 100 exposures and needed no darkroom at all: shoot the roll, mail the whole camera to Rochester with $10, and Eastman's company handled the rest. Photography, for the first time, belonged to anyone who could press a button…