Eastman Kodak

A popular song, “Another One Bites the Dust,” came to mind yesterday when I read of Eastman Kodak filing for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy. George Eastman, founder of Eastman Kodak, was born in 1854 in Waterville, New York, near Utica. My great grandmother was born there also in 1848. Since learning of that common interest, my heart has gone out to the company he founded and the thousands of workers displaced by an industry that has changed remarkably.
When photography was first introduced, only relatively few people had access to the equipment necessary to photograph families and scenes. The craft required tripods, flaming illumination, glass slides, hoods for the photographer, etc. Consequently many towns across the United States waited patiently for the arrival of a photographer, who would make a portrait for every family willing to dress up and pose. The process was slow, and the subjects had to hold their pose for each shot, and that probably accounts for the fact that few smiling faces are seen in the ancient photographs of long ago days.
Then came George Eastman, who offered handheld cameras to the general public, along with roll film that allowed several pictures to be taken on the roll. In no time at all, virtually every family had a “Brownie” camera, a little box with a viewing lens that you held at your waist, looking down at the little picture on the camera, and pressed a little lever. That was it. When the roll was full, you removed it from the camera and took it in for processing. Soon your pictures (black and white, of course) arrived and everyone was ecstatic over the splendid results. No doubt your home is host to many of those old pictures today. I can’t tell you how many times I looked into that little box and was told to “Smile!”
Later, a sensation was created by the company when it offered the tiny Instamatic camera. You may have at least one of these lying around somewhere in your house. Seems like everyone had one. Through the years, competing companies offered similar cameras. Success for Eastman Kodak, which at its zenith employed thousands upon thousands of people around the world. We called any handheld camera a “Kodak.”
Real competition began in the 1980’s when Fuji Film was developed in Japan and sold in the U.S.A. at cheaper prices. The film quality was excellent, and Kodak had problems on its hands. Kodak continued to do well, however, and as late as 1997, its stock sold at $97 per share. Today it’s worth only 37 cents. “Another one bites the dust.”
The chief problem for the company today is digital photography. The computer age has opened doors unforeseen in past days. You can take pictures, transfer them to your computer, and print them on professional quality paper all by yourself.
I personally hope Kodak can rise again from its ashes. It helped to make America the place where everybody wants to live.