In the early 1900s, a widow named Elizabeth Peck had her portrait taken and unknowingly became the face of Duffy’s Pure Malt Whiskey, which falsely claimed medicinal benefits. The rise of the Kodak camera allowed for mass exposure and the exploitation of individuals in photography, leading to a crisis of privacy. Advertisers used people’s portraits without permission, and even President Theodore Roosevelt fell victim to unwanted photographs. A legal battle over the unauthorized use of a woman’s likeness in an ad led to the establishment of a narrow “right to privacy” law in the US. The debate over privacy and exposure continues unresolved today.
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/how-the-rise-of-the-camera-launched-a-fight-to-protect-gilded-age-americans-privacy-180984656/