'Detective Camera', 1892

The cover of a songsheet, illustrated by H.G. Banks, published in 1892, for a comic song entitled 'Detective Camera', with words by James Newland and music by George Le Brunn, performed by Dan Leno (1860-1914). The introduction of dry plates in the 1880s had a radical effect on camera design. Exposures were now brief enough to allow cameras to be held in the hand when taking a photograph. Because of their comparatively inconspicuous appearance which made 'candid' photography possible, hand cameras were popularly known as 'detective' cameras.. From the Kodak Collection at the National Science & Media Museum. This collection of photographs, equipment and printed material tracing the history of photography, was assembled by Kodak Limited and acquired from them in the mid-1980s. As well as approximately 200,000 photographs, the Collection includes nearly 10,000 items of photographic and cinematic equipment as well as books and printed ephemera. The Collection is especially strong in the area of popular photography. It includes examples of most of the products made by Kodak Limited and thousands of snapshots, dating back to the 1880s. It also contains work by known photographers such as Frank Meadow Sutcliffe and Paul Martin.