Picadilly Circus, 1915

A snapshot photograph of Picadilly Circus in London, taken by an unknown photographer in 1915. A large recruiting poster is prominent on the building in the background. Alfred Gilbert's 1854-1934) (statue, representing the Angel Charity, was erected in 1892 as a memorial to Lord Shaftesbury. Originally a shooting term, the word 'snapshot' was first linked with photography in the late 1850s, when it was used to describe a photograph taken with a brief exposure. Over time, snapshot came to mean any amateur photograph taken with a simple camera. The origins of popular photography can be traced back to George Eastman's [1854-1932] introduction of the first Kodak camera in 1888. Snapshots are informal, personal records of everyday life and experiences. <br><br>From the Kodak 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.