Wet-plate photographer afield

From the announcement of photography’s invention in 1839 until the 1870s, making photographs was a complicated and messy process usually reserved for professionals. The photographer had to carry a very heavy camera, tripod, tent, and chemicals with them in the field, and the exposed plates needed to remain wet in order to be processed. Most photographers usually brought along an assistant to help with this cumbersome process. Eastman could see that there had to be an easier way, and he began to experiment at home after working at the bank during the day.