We Take So Many Things For Granted,

and believe that they are somehow new inventions,

 take compact or pocket cameras, I came across this, for myself, most interesting article about one of the first and most successful ‘compact’ cameras that appeared over 100 years ago, in April 1912, above the Vest Pocket Autographic Kodak camera, c. 1914 © Science Museum Group collection,

 from the article,

‘Vest’ is the American term for a waistcoat, and the camera lives up to its name. As The Amateur Photographer noted in its review:

The Vest Pocket Kodak does not belie its name, and is small enough to be carried in a waistcoat pocket without inconvenience, in use, the lens panel pulls out on a pair of lazy-tongs struts. The basic VPK was fitted with a two-speed ball bearing shutter—1/25 and 1/50 sec—and a fixed-focus meniscus lens. Many variants with different lens and shutter combinations were also produced, 

above British soldiers wearing gasmasks, 1917, most likely taken with a Vest Pocket Kodak © Science Museum Group collection

 snapshot of British soldiers in a trench in the First World War, most likely taken with a Vest Pocket Kodak, 1915 © The Royal Photographic Society Collection, the introduction of the Autographic VPK coincided with a boom in camera sales linked with the outbreak of the First World War, Many soldiers bought cameras to record their travels and experiences. The VPK was by far the most popular choice, particularly with American ‘doughboys’. It was widely advertised as ‘The Soldier’s Kodak’ and owners were encouraged to ‘Make your own picture record of the War’, sales figures rocketed. In 1914 about 5,500 VPKs were sold in Britain. The following year, this increased to over 28,000,  and there was me thinking that popular pocket cameras came out only 30 or so years ago!