In 1900, a woman captured a selfie using a Kodak Box Brown camera, which was available for $1. The camera itself marked the beginning of modern photography and was introduced around the turn of the century. However, the roots of the camera can be traced back to 1790 when the UK's Thomas Wedgwood created a basic model. By 1826, French inventor Joseph Nicéphore Niépce had developed a camera resembling modern ones.
The first appearance of humans on film occurred in 1838, followed shortly by the first selfie taken in 1839 by American photographer Robert Cornelius. However, it wasn't until 1900 that the era of the selfie truly began with the introduction of Kodak's revolutionary Box Brownie Camera.
The Box Brownie Camera was a game-changer, retailing at just $1. It was constructed from cardboard and utilized 117mm roll film to capture two-inch photos. The camera gained immense popularity and sold in the millions. Its affordability, user-friendly nature, and introduction of the snapshot concept made it a significant milestone in photography history.