There was a time when these old cameras were so prevalent and pervasive in our culture. They were all the rage.

Kodak used slick advertising promising happiness and fulfilment — just take a look at these 100 year old advertisements.

I’m not going to state the obvious, I’ll let you piece together the connections with our own modern consumer culture, all promising the exact same thing Kodak offered a century ago.

Eventually Kodak became irrelevant, unable to move fast enough with the speed of technology. I’m left to ponder the future of the companies that now feed us our technology and gadgets. What will become of them over the next 70 to 100 years?

Vintage shops are now full of these cameras. Intricate designs, all iterations on the same simple process. They make for great compositions — the square cameras, the multiple round lenses and textures of the surfaces.

These paintings are currently showing at Art Essex Gallery in Essex, Connecticut from October 1 – 25, 2014.

Twelve Vintage Cameras 18″ x 24″ – Oil/Canvas – 2014

Eight Vintage Cameras 24″ x 24″ – Oil/Canvas – 2014

Seven Vintage Cameras 20″ x 20″ – Oil/Canvas – 2014