A Brief History of How Eastman Kodak Founder George Eastman Transformed Photography

Engineer Guy Bill Hammack recently examined the life of George Eastman, the Eastman Kodak founder who transformed photography when he helped to invent film. Released in 1900, Eastman’s Brownie camera helped bring photography to the masses with a retail cost of $1.

The Brownie camera was the brainchild of George Eastman. In 1871, this 17-year-old bank clerk took up photography. It wasn’t a simple thing in those days. In Eastman’s own words, it took a “pack-horse” load of equipment, including a sink, because making photos was messy business.