Camillus Kessler (cartoonist)
1923, 14 September
George Eastman, as an amateur, rigged up his first portable photographic outfit while working in a bank in Rochester, N.Y.
Cartoon
Internet - Original source ill-definedHistorical Context of the Cartoon
The cartoon illustrates a true story about George Eastman, the founder of Kodak.
The Joke: Before inventing roll film and the Kodak camera, photography was a massive physical burden. It required the "wet plate" collodion process, meaning a photographer had to carry a heavy camera, glass plates, fragile chemicals ("Nitrate of Silver," "Corrosive Solutions"), and a tent to act as a portable "Dark Room" to develop the plates immediately before they dried.
The Setting: The cartoon shows Eastman leaving his day job at the Rochester Savings Bank, where he was indeed a junior clerk.
The Irony: The bystanders mock him, saying he "wastes so much time" and "he'd make a fine bank clerk." This is the central theme of Kessler's "At the Bottom of the Ladder" series—highlighting how people often underestimated geniuses before they became famous. Eastman, of course, went on to revolutionize photography and become one of the wealthiest men in American history.
LL/131482
