Kodak Brownie - concept of the snapshot

Brownie is the name of a long-running popular series of simple and inexpensive cameras made by Eastman Kodak. The Brownie popularized low-cost photography and introduced the concept of the snapshot. The first Brownie, introduced in February 1900, was a very basic cardboard box camera with a simple meniscus lens that took 2¼-inch square pictures on 117 rollfilm. 

With its simple controls and initial price of $1, it was intended to be a camera that anyone could afford and use, hence the slogan, "You push the button, we do the rest."

Brownies were extensively marketed to children, with Kodak using them to popularise photography. They were also taken to war by soldiers. Because they were so ubiquitous, many iconic shots were taken on brownies.