✨AI Reimagines the Masters✨ George Eastman|194/1000

type

status

date

slug

summary

Introduce briefly

George Eastman was an American entrepreneur, inventor, and photographer who played a significant role in the development of photography and the film industry. He was born on July 12, 1854, in Waterville, New York, and passed away on March 14, 1932, in Rochester, New York [1].

Early Life

George Eastman was the youngest child of George Washington Eastman and Maria Eastman [1].

He was largely self-educated but attended a private school in Rochester after the age of eight [1].

His father's declining health led the family to move to Rochester in 1860, where his mother took in boarders to support the family after his father's death [1].

Founding of Kodak

Eastman became interested in photography while working as a bank clerk in the 1870s [1].

In 1881, he founded the Eastman Dry Plate Company to sell plates for photography [1].

He developed a flexible film roll to replace plates and patented it in 1885 [1].

In 1888, he introduced the Kodak camera, which was sold with pre-loaded film and popularized amateur photography [1].

Growth of the Film Industry

Eastman recognized the importance of film production and focused on providing quality and affordable film to camera manufacturers [1].

Kodak became the leading supplier of film stock internationally by 1896 [1].

Eastman negotiated for Kodak to be the sole supplier of film to the emerging motion picture industry [1].

Kodak's growth was sustained through innovations in film and cameras, including the Brownie camera marketed to children [1].

Philanthropy and Legacy

Eastman was a major philanthropist, establishing the Eastman School of Music, Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, and schools of dentistry and medicine at the University of Rochester [1].

He made significant contributions to institutions such as the Rochester Institute of Technology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Tuskegee University, and Hampton University [1].

Eastman's contributions to photography and his philanthropic endeavors have made him one of the most influential and well-known residents of Rochester, New York [1].