George Eastman Patents Roll Film and Kodak Trademark
Photography in the nineteenth century remained cumbersome, requiring heavy equipment and chemical processing that limited it to professionals. Rochester inventor George Eastman sought to simplify the process after earlier experiments with dry plates. He developed a flexible roll film system and a lightweight camera. On September 4, 1888, Eastman received a U.S. patent for the roll-film camera and registered the Kodak trademark, chosen for its distinctive sound and ease of spelling. The company marketed the camera with the slogan “You press the button, we do the rest,” shifting photography toward mass consumer use and amateur enthusiasts.
Why it matters: The innovation democratized photography, fueling the growth of the Eastman Kodak Company into a global industry leader and transforming visual documentation in journalism, science, art, and personal life. It laid groundwork for later film and imaging technologies that shaped twentieth-century culture.