Piccadilly Circus, c 1900.

A photograph by Paul Martin taken around 1900 of the statue of Eros in Piccadilly Circus, London. Pedestrians on a bright, sunny day hurry past flower and newspaper sellers. Alfred Gilbert's statue, 'Eros', actually representing the Angel Charity, was erected in 1892 as a memorial to Lord Shaftesbury. A man on the left holds a poster which says 'Splendid Batting', presumably referring to cricket. Paul Martin is regarded as a pioneer of photo journalism. In 1892 he bought a 'Facile' -  a popular hand camera made by Fallowfield of London.  With his camera disguised as a leather case, he was able to work unobserved, taking the candid photographs of daily life which are recognised as his greatest work.  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.