John Septimus Sears (1875-1969),
The Kodak Fiend (1/30), bronze, 6 x 10 x 4 inches. Brigham Young University Museum of Art.
Amateur photographers proliferated in America after the 1880s, largely due to George Eastman, founder of the Kodak Company. His aim was to bring photography 'within the reach of every human being who desires to preserve a record of what he sees.' Sears, best known for his cartoons, studied cartooning in New York and worked for many newspapers and magazines. His cartooning skills are evident in this small humorous sculpture. He deftly evokes Kodak's requirements for the aspiring photographer-point, and push the button. Kodak's slogan, 'You press the button, we do the rest!' was heard across the country. Harper's Weekly reported, 'It is heard on the street, in the cars, at the theatre, . . . and in fact, wherever men and women congregate.'