At the National Media Museum in Bradford, there are tons of examples of vintage advertisments for cameras, films, developing labs and the like, but the one that really caught our attention on a recent visit there was the beautiful "Kodak Girl".
The Kodak Girl was introduced by George Eastman of Kodak circa 1910 as a way of marketing Kodak cameras to fashionable independent young women. Kodak Girl adverts can usually be identified by the stripey blue dress she wore and the Kodak in her hands. The info below is courtesy of answers.com:-
“In 1910 a striking new element was introduced into Kodak advertising—the Kodak Girl wearing her characteristic striped dress. For over 60 years she would be the personification of popular photography in the public imagination, subtly symbolizing it as easy, fun, and family friendly. Created by a leading poster artist, John Hassell, the first Kodak Girl was based on a photograph taken by Cavendish Morton, using his wife as the model. Over the years, Kodak commissioned some of the best artists and illustrators of the day to design the advertisements. As the decades passed, the girl’s appearance altered, reflecting the changing fashion trends of the time.”
I understand Kodak stopped using the one particular girl around 1920 but continued to use women in their advertisements for a number of years after that.
You can learn more at the Media Museum.