George Eastman - Invention, Kodak & Photography
                     GEORGE 
EASTMAN
INTRODUCTION
• George Eastman was an entrepreneur, a 
philanthropist, and the pioneer of popular 
photography and motion picture fi lm.
SOURCE: www.eastman.org 2
BIRTH
• George Eastman was born in 1854 in 
Waterville, New York, the same year that 
his father, George Washington Eastman, 
established Eastman’s Commercial 
College in Rochester.
SOURCE: www.eastman.org 3
FAMILY
• In 1860, the family moved to Rochester, 
but two years later, the elder Eastman 
died suddenly, leaving his family with few 
fi nancial resources. 
• George Eastman left school at age 14 to 
support his mother, Maria Kilbourn 
Eastman, and two older sisters, Ellen and 
Kate. 
SOURCE: www.eastman.org 4
CARRIER
• He fi rst worked at a local insurance 
company and then as a junior clerk by the 
Rochester Savings Bank.
SOURCE: www.eastman.org 5
PHOTOGRAPHY
• When Eastman was 23, a colleague 
suggested that he take a camera on an 
upcoming vacation. Eastman bought a 
photographic outfi t, and although he 
never made the journey, he became fully 
engrossed in photography.
SOURCE: www.eastman.org 6
EASTMAN DRY 
PLATE COMPANY
• In 1881, with the fi nancial backing of 
Rochester businessman Henry Strong, 
Eastman formed the Eastman Dry Plate 
Company (reincorporated as the Eastman 
Dry Plate and Film Company in 1884 and 
as Eastman Kodak Company in 1892). 
SOURCE: www.eastman.org 7
MOTION PICTURE 
INDUSTRY
• With a series of innovations, the company 
created easy-to-use cameras that made 
photography widely accessible, 
established the practice of professional 
photofi nishing, and developed a fl exible 
fi lm that was a critical contribution to the 
launch of the motion picture industry.
SOURCE: www.eastman.org 8
SPINAL DISEASE
• In the late 1920s, Eastman was diagnosed 
with a progressive and irreversible spinal 
disease, and on March 14, 1932, he 
ended his own life. In a note to friends, 
he wrote, “My work is done. Why wait?”
SOURCE: www.eastman.org 9
DEATH
• In the late 1920s, Eastman was diagnosed 
with a progressive and irreversible spinal 
disease, and on March 14, 1932, he 
ended his own life. In a note to friends, 
he wrote, “My work is done. Why wait?”
SOURCE: www.eastman.org 10
SERVICES
• To ensure the success of his company in 
Rochester after his death, Eastman left in 
his will money that would encourage 
education, appreciation of the arts, and 
expansion of medical services in the 
Rochester community.
SOURCE: www.eastman.org 11