Evening star., 1932-03-15
CASHED IN ON HOBBY.
Eastman's Invention Prompted by Dis
like for Carrying Heavy Equipment.

Eastmans Invention Prompted by Dis
like for Carrying Heavy Equipment.
ROCHESTER, N. Y. March IS (F).
AS a young bank clerk who enjoyed
amateur photography but hated lug
ging around the heavy equipment nec-
essary for picture taking" in that day.
George Eastman looked about for some
thing to tighten the burden of his
hobby. What he found brought him
millions to spend on others as well as
on himself.
Eastman heard of British process
for manufacturing dry Photographic
plates. At that time the photographer,
usually an itinerant professional with
equipment tied to his back like
soldiers knapsack, had to sensitize his
plates by dipping them in a solution
of nitrate of silver Just before exposure.
This was done in the dark tent" the
photographer set up for the purpose.
Working at odd times in the roomirg
house his mother kept after his fathers
death, Eastman experimental with the
dry plate method and invented ma
chine for coating glass plates with
gelatine emulsion.
He began manufacturing the plates,
which sold faster than he could make
them. In order to expand. he interested
a boarder at his home. They organized
the Eastman Dry Plate Co.
Worked in English Factory.
Then came dark days for the youth
full manufacturer. The length OF time
the dry plates would last without spoil
ing never had been calculated. Thou
sands of them shipped to jobbers came
back worthless. Eastman paid back
dollar for dollar and sought way of
protecting his plates from weather and
age. He heard Of factory in England
where this was being done. Hurrying
over there, he worked in the factory
for one month to learn the details,
then purchased rights to the process.
Soon a new difficulty arose in the
form of too much competition. East
man and William H. Walker. expert
photographer, put out film rool holders
and film spools. Amateurs had some
trouble with them, however, and East
man made a camera especially designed
for the use of these films.
This instrument, manufactured In
1888, consisted of a square box con-
tainng film roll for 100 exposures.
The pictures were round, 21a inches
in diameter. 1t was camera for
greenhorns, Eastman later said. 1t
sold for s25. From this modern camera
eventually developed.
Origin of Word Kodak"
In 1889, Eastman succeeded in max
ing practically the first cellulose base
for transparent. flexible film by dis
solving cotton, previously nitrates, in a
solution Of denatured alcohol. When
this was dried and sensitively coated
it became film like him company now
manufactures.
Meanwhile, Thomas A. Edison, work
ing in his West Orange, N. j., factory
to perfect motion picture machine,
heard of the Eastman film discovery
and sent his assistant, Dickson, to in
vestigate. Dickson took a strip back
and showed it to Edison.
That's tt-we've got it," Edison ex-
claimed.
Since that time Eastman'S firm has
manufactured hundreds of thousands
of feet of motion picture film annu-
ally The purchase memorandum for
the first order was kept in Eastman's
files, dated September 2, 1889.
He once said he had given his cam
eras the name Kodak" because TX"
was his favorite letter. He just put
*" on either end. he said, and fitted
in other letters that would make
name he could pronounce and meet
trade name requirements.