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History of Kodak Timeline
(1888 - Present)The Eastman Kodak Company, founded by George Eastman in Rochester, New York, revolutionized photography by making cameras accessible to everyday consumers. This timeline traces Kodak's rise as a photographic giant through innovations like the Brownie camera and Kodachrome film, its dominance of the film industry for over a century, and its eventual decline as it struggled to adapt to digital photography, culminating in its 2012 bankruptcy and transformation into a smaller commercial imaging company. More Less
Founding and Early Years
George Eastman born in Waterville, New York
Jul 12, 1854
George Eastman, the future founder of the Eastman Kodak Company, was born in Waterville, New York. After his father's death, Eastman left school at 14 to support his family, working as an office boy and later a bank clerk before developing an interest in photography.
Image source: George Eastman
Eastman begins experimenting with photographic processes
1878
While planning a vacation to Santo Domingo, George Eastman purchased photographic equipment and became fascinated with photography. He began experimenting in his mother's kitchen to simplify the cumbersome wet plate process, eventually developing a dry plate formula and a machine for coating plates.
Eastman Dry Plate Company founded in Rochester
Jan 1, 1881
George Eastman partnered with businessman Henry A. Strong to form the Eastman Dry Plate Company in Rochester, New York. The company manufactured dry photographic plates, which were more convenient than wet plates and laid the commercial foundation for what would become Kodak.
Image source: Kodak
Company renamed Eastman Company
1889
The business was reorganized and renamed the Eastman Company, reflecting its expansion beyond dry plates into cameras and film. This reorganization set the stage for further corporate growth and product diversification.
Eastman Kodak Company incorporated
1901
The company was formally incorporated in New Jersey as the Eastman Kodak Company, consolidating Eastman's various enterprises under one name. 'Kodak' was a name Eastman invented himself, chosen because it was short, distinctive, and pronounceable everywhere.
George Eastman dies by suicide
Mar 14, 1932
Suffering from a degenerative spinal condition that left him in increasing pain, George Eastman took his own life at his Rochester home, leaving a note that read 'To my friends, my work is done.' He had given away much of his fortune to universities and institutions, including MIT and the University of Rochester.
Innovation and Growth
Eastman perfects roll film on a flexible base
1885
The Eastman company introduced rolled paper film, followed by improvements leading to transparent roll film on a nitrocellulose base. This innovation made photography far more portable and practical, and it would later become essential to motion picture film production.
Image source: Photographic film
Original Kodak camera launched with slogan 'You press the button'
1888
Eastman introduced the first Kodak camera, a simple box camera pre-loaded with enough film for 100 exposures. Owners sent the entire camera back to Rochester, where the film was developed and prints made. The famous slogan 'You press the button, we do the rest' popularized snapshot photography for ordinary people.
Image source: Kodak
Brownie camera introduced at one dollar
Feb 1900
The Kodak Brownie, priced at just one dollar, brought photography to the masses, including children. Simple, affordable, and durable, it sold hundreds of thousands of units and cemented Kodak's strategy of making money on film sales rather than cameras.
Image source: Kodak Brownie
Kodak introduces amateur motion picture film
1923
Kodak introduced 16mm reversal film and the Cine-Kodak movie camera, opening home moviemaking to amateurs. The company also introduced Kodascope projectors, creating an entirely new consumer market and extending Kodak's dominance into motion pictures.
Image source: 16 mm film
Key Facts
- George Eastman founded the Eastman Dry Plate Company in 1888, later renamed Eastman Kodak, with the slogan 'You press the button, we do the rest,' making photography accessible to ordinary people.
- In 1900, Kodak introduced the Brownie camera, priced at just one dollar, which popularized snapshot photography among the masses.
- Kodak engineer Steven Sasson invented the first self-contained digital camera prototype in 1975, but the company famously failed to fully commercialize the technology out of fear it would cannibalize its film business.
- Kodak filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in January 2012 after years of declining sales caused by the shift from film to digital photography.
- After emerging from bankruptcy in 2013, Kodak restructured into a much smaller company focused on commercial printing, packaging, and imaging technologies rather than consumer photography.
Source
This History of Kodak timeline was generated with the help of AI, using information found on the internet.
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