Are You A Good Photographer?

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There are so many things that I could write about that happened in the 19th century, so I’m just going to mention a few at a time. History fascinates me and I’m hoping that I can remember these things once I write them down. In 1854, George EASTMAN, a U.S, inventor, was born in New York City. He started his adult life with a career in banking, but soon gave that up for photography. In 1884, he invented the roll film for cameras and in 1888, he invented the Kodak box camera. That was over 127 years ago. I didn’t realize that. I do remember my family having one of these box cameras though. Many amateur photographers sprung up everywhere. I don’t have the camera anymore but I do have some of the pictures that were taken with it. And I have seen these box cameras from time to time in antique shops. What is amazing is how photography has advanced since those early days. Now we can take pictures with our cell phone or IPad. I do that all the time, as I’m sure you do too, but we have George Eastman to thank for his early inventions. I also found out that George Eastman worked with Thomas Edison and together they made the motion picture industry come to life. The Eastman Kodak company was formed in 1892 and produced the Brownie camera in 1900. One of the things I also learned was that Eastman also gave away half of his fortune ($75 million) to charities and educational establishments, such as the Eastman School of Music at Rochester University and also to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.