George Eastman

NAME George Eastman

WHAT FAMOUS FOR

Inventor of roll film and founder of Eastman Kodak, George Eastman revolutionized photography by making it accessible to the masses.

BIRTH George Eastman was born on July 12, 1854, in Waterville, New York. He was the youngest of three children born to George Washington Eastman and Maria Kilbourn Eastman at their 10-acre farm, which his parents had purchased in 1849.

FAMILY BACKGROUND Eastman's father, George Washington Eastman, operated a business school called Eastman's Commercial College in Rochester, New York, where he taught bookkeeping and penmanship. His father also worked as a fruit tree and rose salesman, which required frequent travel between Waterville and Rochester. 

His mother, Maria Kilbourn Eastman, came from a family active in the abolitionist movement before the Civil War, with both her father and uncle's homes serving as stops on the Underground Railroad. 

Eastman had two older sisters: Ellen Maria and Katie. Katie suffered from polio and died in 1870 when Eastman was 16 years old. (1)

CHILDHOOD When he was seven years old (in 1862),  Eastman's father died suddenly, leaving the family in financial distress. The family moved to Rochester in 1860, but after his father's death, the family business school failed, leaving them with few financial resources. His mother took in boarders to support the family, and the household was permanently scarred by misfortune when his sister Katie died of polio-related complications. These early experiences of loss and financial struggle shaped Eastman's character and instilled in him a strong work ethic and determination to succeed.

EDUCATION Eastman was largely self-educated, though he attended a private school in Rochester after the age of eight. Due to his family's financial circumstances after his father's death, Eastman was forced to leave school at age 14 to help support his family. 

Despite this limited formal education, he was described as methodical and dedicated to self-improvement. He studied accounting at home in the evenings to qualify for higher-paying positions, demonstrating his commitment to learning and advancement despite his truncated formal education.

CAREER RECORD Eastman began his working life at age 14 as a messenger boy for an insurance company, earning $3 per week. A year later, he became an office boy for another insurance firm, where his initiative led to increased responsibilities in policy filing and writing, raising his pay to $5 per week. Through self-study in accounting, he qualified for a position as bookkeeper at Rochester Savings Bank in 1875. 

1881 Eastman co-founded the Eastman Dry Plate Company with Henry A. Strong in Rochester, New York. 

1884, He invented roll film and formed the Eastman Dry Plate and Film Company. On April 6, 1888, they released the first Kodak camera, a handheld device preloaded with roll film. The slogan was “You press the button, we do the rest.” 

1892 The company became Eastman Kodak. Under his leadership, Kodak became one of the world's largest film and camera manufacturers and dominated the global photography market until his retirement in 1925.

APPEARANCE  George Eastman was a man of average build, often appearing serious and thoughtful. He had a square jaw, neatly groomed hair, and often sported a well-trimmed mustache in his middle years.

Portrait of Eastman by Paul Nadar, 1890

Eastman had a boyish face that gave him a low profile for many years, even at the peak of his success. One anecdote illustrates this: when he identified himself to a newly hired gate guard at his own factory, the watchman scoffed, saying "Glad to meet you; I'm John D. Rockefeller". (2)

FASHION Eastman's fashion was generally conservative and practical, reflecting the business attire of his era. He was a meticulous individual, and his clothing was well-maintained and appropriate for his status as a prominent industrialist.

Eastman was known to dress appropriately for different occasions and was reportedly considerate of others' comfort in dress - there's a story that when hosting Booker T. Washington, who wasn't wearing "black tie" attire like other guests, Eastman quickly changed into a business suit to put Washington at ease.

CHARACTER Eastman was a man of striking contradictions. He was modest, shy, and deeply reserved—so much so that one friend joked he "could keep silent in several languages." Despite decades of close collaboration, he and University of Rochester president Rush Rhees didn’t call each other by their first names for 25 years. Yet behind that quiet demeanor lay a force of intensity and drive. He was brisk, unsentimental, and could, in the words of one associate, "put the fear of God into you with his eyes."

At the same time, Eastman was an eternal optimist who found joy in solving problems and refining systems. He was methodical, orderly, and possessed an extraordinary work ethic and physical stamina. Though emotionally reserved, he was seen as fair-minded and forward-thinking, particularly in how he treated his workers. He was among the first industrial leaders to introduce profit-sharing and employee stock options, reflecting a progressive view of labor relations. Beneath his stoic surface, those close to him saw a man who, though intense and demanding, genuinely cared about people. (2)

SPEAKING VOICE In 1929, George Eastman's voice was recorded when he delivered a greeting to the Society of Motion Picture Engineers convention. This recording, preserved by Eastman Kodak, captures Eastman speaking for the first time before a microphone boom. He took several takes to record the brief speech, finishing only when he was sure he had one that he liked. The recording reveals a measured, articulate speaking style appropriate to his era and education. 

Despite being a public figure, Eastman was known to dread public speaking due to his natural shyness, and this made him less effective as a public speaker than he was in private business dealings.

SENSE OF HUMOUR While Eastman was generally described as serious and methodical, he did possess a sense of humor, though it was often subtle and dry.  Elizabeth Brayer's research revealed that far from being a "grumpy old cardboard figure that never had any fun," Eastman was actually playful and competitive. (3)

He enjoyed the anonymity of his philanthropic giving, particularly deriving "great pleasure from the ensuing speculation in newspapers and in society" when he donated $1 million to MIT anonymously under the name "Mr. Smith". There are also accounts of him being "deliriously happy" during contentious business fights, suggesting he found enjoyment in intellectual sparring and challenges.

RELATIONSHIPS George Eastman never married and remained a bachelor his entire life. He was extremely close to his mother, Maria, who lived with him in his East Avenue mansion until her death in 1907. During the last two years of her life, when she was confined to a wheelchair with spinal problems, Eastman had an elevator installed specifically for her care. 

The most significant romantic relationship documented in his life was with Josephine Dickman, the wife of his London business manager George Dickman and a trained singer. Their relationship was described as being "as intimate as any lover could be" short of consummation. They met in 1889 when Eastman was traveling in Europe with his mother, and their friendship opened up a new world for Eastman of "private clubs, theater, art, and antiques". When George Dickman died suddenly in 1898, Eastman continued his close friendship with Josephine. Some historical correspondence suggests Eastman may have been gay, though this remains a subject of scholarly debate. (4) 

KODAK At the age of 24, while planning what must have seemed at the time like a perfectly sensible getaway to Santo Domingo, George Eastman received a suggestion from a friend that would go on to alter the course of modern life: “Why not take a camera?” This was in the 1870s, when photography was less a hobby and more a sweaty logistical operation involving tripods, glass plates, and chemicals so noxious they could probably melt a hole through the floor.

Eastman, intrigued and rather burdened by the whole enterprise, never actually made it to Santo Domingo. But the sheer absurdity of the camera equipment stuck with him. By day, he worked a bank job. By night, he transformed his mother’s kitchen into a sort of makeshift photographic chemistry lab. It's hard to imagine a more alarming domestic scene than your son whipping up emulsions next to the tea kettle, but Mrs. Eastman seemed to take it in stride.

In 1880, Eastman invented a dry plate formula—blessedly free of the need to coat glass on the spot—and also patented a machine that could coat the plates for you, thus rescuing countless amateur photographers from both inconvenience and probable poisoning.

In 1881, he teamed up with a businessman named Henry A. Strong to form the Eastman Dry Plate Company, headquartered in Rochester, New York, a place that would soon become the Silicon Valley of film. By 1884, Eastman had invented roll film, which meant you no longer needed to carry around a satchel of fragile glass squares just to take pictures of your dog. The company incorporated and became the Eastman Dry Plate and Film Company, with 14 shareholders and, one suspects, considerably more optimism.

Then came April 6, 1888—a quiet milestone in human history—when Eastman introduced the first hand-held camera that used roll film. He called it the Kodak, a word he invented because he liked the letter K and thought it sounded brisk and memorable. A year later, the company name was shortened to Eastman Company, and three years after that it became Eastman Kodak, now with a moniker as iconic as its invention.

Kodak camera advertisement from 1888.

The real brilliance, though, was in the business model. The original Kodak camera sold for $24, came pre-loaded with film for 100 pictures, and when you finished, you mailed the whole thing back. For $10, Kodak developed the photos, reloaded the camera, and sent it back to you. Their slogan, “You press the button, we do the rest,” may be the single most reassuring line ever aimed at the technologically timid.

Then, in 1900, came the Brownie—a simple, little box camera that cost one dollar. It looked like a toy and sold like candy. The film cost 15 cents for six exposures, and it was this humble contraption that truly democratized photography. Suddenly, schoolchildren could take pictures of their pets, holidaymakers could immortalize their seaside jaunts, and no family gathering was safe from being awkwardly frozen in time.

George Eastman didn’t just invent new ways to take pictures. He invented a way for people to remember their lives. And then, brilliantly, made them pay him to do it.

MONEY AND FAME By the time George Eastman died in 1932, he was worth the equivalent of over $1.5 billion in 2017 dollars. But you’d never have known it from the man himself. Eastman was famously unflashy about his fortune—so much so that The Boston Globe once dubbed him “America’s most modest and least-known millionaire,” which in the age of gilded excess was practically a superpower.

He had strong feelings about philanthropy, particularly the kind that involved acting while still breathing. “Men who leave their money to be distributed by others are pie-faced mutts,” he once declared, in a quote that is somehow both cutting and cartoonish. True to form, Eastman gave away more than $100 million in his lifetime—a staggering sum for the era—and deliberately distributed most of his wealth before his death.

Despite having the means to indulge in yachts, jewels, or whatever passed for private jets in the 1920s, Eastman lived simply. He was thrifty in his personal affairs, reportedly reusing envelopes and monitoring household expenses, yet lavishly generous when it came to education, health care, and the arts. In short, he was the kind of billionaire we wish there were more of—quiet, practical, and more interested in improving the world than collecting it.

FOOD AND DRINK Eastman was known to have specific eating habits and an enthusiasm for good food. He was reportedly a good cook himself and boasted about his culinary skills. Friends recalled his talent for cooking, with one mentioning, "I never ate better beefsteak."

His mansion included formal dining facilities where he entertained guests, including Japanese businessmen in 1921, complete with elaborate menus. 

MUSIC AND ARTS Music was, by all accounts, George Eastman’s deepest personal passion—bordering on obsession. He called it “a necessary part of life” and firmly believed that “there are no drawbacks to music: you can’t have too much of it.” This was not just idle talk. At his Rochester mansion, he installed one of the largest private pipe organs in the country—6,175 pipes in total—and hired an organist to play it every morning, turning breakfast into a grand auditory affair and effectively making music his alarm clock.

Friends said he was “absolutely alcoholic about music,” a description he seemed to live up to with gusto. On a culture binge to New York in 1925, he reportedly took in 12 operas and plays in just six days.

In 1921, Eastman turned his love of music into lasting legacy with the founding of the Eastman School of Music at the University of Rochester—now considered one of the world’s top conservatories. He also built the splendid 3,100-seat Eastman Theatre, which remains a centerpiece of musical life in Rochester. In 1922, Eastman founded the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, hiring its first music director Albert Coates.

Ever the perfectionist, Eastman didn’t just bankroll music—he monitored it. He kept a buzzer to summon tardy musicians and noticed if performances ended even a few minutes early. But he was also determined to make music accessible. He insisted operas be performed in English so audiences could understand them, and demanded that tickets be sold on a first-come, first-served basis to prevent class-based seating hierarchies. (2)

LITERATURE Eastman was described as an "inveterate reader of many newspapers and magazines."

Eastman and self-publish a book about his African safari experiences titled Chronicles of an African Trip in 1927. He also wrote articles for national publications, including pieces about employment and economic advice. His correspondence reveals him to be an articulate and thoughtful writer, though his primary focus was always business and philanthropy rather than literary pursuits.

His broad philanthropic efforts included support for libraries and educational institutions.

NATURE  George Eastman had a deep and abiding love for the natural world—though, in the style of his era, this often meant traveling great distances to shoot parts of it. At age 72, when most men are considering sensible cardigans and quiet afternoons, Eastman launched himself into the wilds of East Africa for his first major safari in 1926. He returned for a second expedition in 1928, both trips so grand in scale they ranked among the largest motorized safaris ever to leave Nairobi at the time.

At their peak, his caravans included 13 cars, 80 porters, 28 camels, and 5 mules—a logistical feat that was part wildlife expedition, part royal procession. Alongside Eastman were famed photographers and filmmakers Martin and Osa Johnson, underscoring his lifelong belief in the power of imagery to capture and share the natural world.

Eastman was an enthusiastic and precise big game hunter, favoring Westley Richards rifles and approaching the hunt with the same careful deliberation he applied to his business ventures. But his interest in nature wasn’t limited to sport—he was equally committed to collecting natural history specimens and sending them back to institutions in the United States, a kind of early conservation-by-cataloging.

Closer to home, his Rochester estate mirrored this love of nature in a more cultivated form. It featured sprawling formal gardens, greenhouses, working farmland, and grazing pastures—a carefully managed balance of wildness and order, just the way Eastman liked things.

PETS Eastman's mansion contained hunting trophies including a mounted elephant head. His estate included working farm facilities with livestock, though these were primarily agricultural rather than companion animals.

HOBBIES AND SPORTS Beyond his passion for music and photography, Eastman was an avid bicyclist who "bicycled across Europe several times" and "enthusiastically bicycled to work much of his life, even in Rochester winters". 

He enjoyed extensive foreign travel, taking exotic and extended journeys between periods of intense work. Eastman was also passionate about big game hunting, undertaking major safari expeditions to Africa. 

He had interests in theater and regularly attended multiple performances during his cultural trips. 

Eastman'sw approach to leisure was often as methodical as his business practices - during one African expedition, he stood filming a charging rhinoceros with an early hand-cranked movie camera, calmly sidestepping as the animal brushed past him, continuing to film even during a second charge. (2)

INVENTIONS George Eastman was one of the most quietly transformative inventors in modern history. Without making a great fuss about it, he took photography, which in the late 19th century involved lugging around boxes of glass, trays of chemicals, and the patience of a saint, and turned it into something you could do with one hand while holding an ice cream cone in the other.

1. Dry Plate Photography and the Coating Machine

Eastman’s journey into photographic disruption began in 1880, when he invented a machine for mass-producing dry gelatin plates. These replaced the absurdly impractical wet plates then in use—imagine preparing photographic glass on the spot, often in a field or hotel room, and you get the idea. With Eastman’s invention, photographers could finally load their cameras without needing to pack a chemistry set. It was a bit like swapping out a steam engine for a bicycle.

2. Roll Film

In 1884, he patented flexible roll film—a roll of chemically treated paper, later upgraded in 1889 to transparent celluloid. This was revolutionary. For the first time, photographers could take multiple pictures without reloading after every shot or risking slicing open a thumb on a glass plate. The improvement was so profound that it not only revolutionized still photography but also laid the foundation for the movie industry. In essence, every Hollywood blockbuster owes a quiet nod to a former bank clerk from Rochester.

3. Kodak No. 1 Camera (1888)

Then came 1888, the year of the Kodak camera—a plain-looking box with astonishing implications. Preloaded with enough film for 100 exposures, it didn’t require a tripod, a light meter, or the consultation of a user manual written by someone who didn’t like people. You simply pointed it at something and pressed a button. Kodak took care of the rest. Eastman even gave it a slogan: “You press the button, we do the rest,” which must have been the most soothing words a consumer had ever heard.

4. Roll Holder

He also came up with a roll holder that could retrofit existing plate cameras to use his flexible film. It was a bit like giving an old steamship a modern GPS system.

5. The Brownie Camera (1900)

In 1900, he launched the Brownie camera—a cheerful little cardboard box priced at $1. For the price of a modest dinner, you could now capture birthdays, pets, parades, and any number of ill-advised hats. It was a global hit and introduced millions of people—children included—to photography. Essentially, the Brownie did for photography what the bicycle did for transport: made it fun, cheap, and democratic.

Kodak Brownie Advertisement by Rathfelder Wikipedia

6. Cinematic Contributions

Eastman’s celluloid roll film also turned out to be ideal for motion pictures. Suddenly, it was possible to string together a sequence of moving images on a long roll of flexible film—a minor detail that happened to launch the movie industry. Without Eastman, we might still be watching shadow plays by candlelight.

7. Other Oddly Useful Inventions

During World War I, Eastman designed durable, shatterproof lenses for gas masks, thus ensuring that soldiers could breathe and see at the same time—a significant upgrade.

He helped develop cameras for aerial photography, a tool vital for reconnaissance and, no doubt, for irritating pigeons.

And in 1928, he introduced advances in color film, because by that point, he must have thought, “Why not just invent the future while I’m at it?”

SCIENCE AND MATHS George Eastman’s relationship with science and mathematics was rooted firmly in the practical. He wasn’t the sort to theorize about atoms or scribble equations on chalkboards for fun—he was far more interested in what science could do. His early experiments with gelatin emulsions were carried out not in a lab but in his mother’s kitchen, where he spent three years cooking up photography’s future alongside the family dinner. It was hands-on chemistry at its most determined—and probably its most aromatic.

As his company grew, Eastman recognized that real innovation required real scientists. He was among the first American industrialists to hire full-time research staff, treating science not as an occasional necessity but as a core engine of business. In 1912, he established the Kodak Research Laboratories, a standalone department separate from the factory floor, charged with advancing both the science and craft of photography. It was a remarkably forward-thinking move—especially at a time when most companies were still figuring out how to install electricity.

Eastman was particularly impressed by Germany’s approach to chemical research and made a notable visit to the Bayer Company in 1911 to see how they did things. This admiration for German efficiency and innovation helped shape his own approach to industrial science.

True to form, he also backed up his admiration with money. Eastman was a major benefactor of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), funding buildings, labs, and research facilities with his usual mix of enthusiasm and quiet generosity. For Eastman, science was never abstract—it was a tool, a business strategy, and, when done right, a public good.

PHILOSOPHY & THEOLOGY George Eastman was nominally affiliated with the Episcopal Church and attended services at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Rochester, but his worldview was shaped far more by practicality than by doctrine. His personal philosophy leaned toward the utilitarian: he believed deeply in the value of work, efficiency, and doing good while you still had time to enjoy it. “What we do during our working hours determines what we have,” he once said, “what we do in our leisure hours determines what we are.” It was a characteristically no-nonsense way to approach both life and legacy.

Eastman’s philanthropic philosophy followed the same logic. He didn’t much care for elaborate foundations that handed out money long after their benefactors were gone. He preferred giving while living, and giving with purpose. His donations weren’t just generous—they were strategic. He championed the democratization of technology and culture, working to make photography accessible to the average person and insisting that the institutions he funded—like concert halls, schools, and medical clinics—offer egalitarian access. He didn’t want velvet ropes and private boxes; he wanted everyone to get a seat.

Eastman quietly expressed his humanitarian values through major investments in education and healthcare. His support for historically Black colleges was rooted, in part, in his parents’ involvement in the abolitionist movement—an early influence that left a lasting moral imprint.

In short, Eastman’s beliefs could be boiled down to a simple formula: make useful things, give generously, and never waste time or money—especially someone else’s.

George Eastman in 1917

POLITICS George Eastman was a lifelong Republican, but his political passion was decidedly local rather than grandiose. He often declared Rochester “the town I am interested in above all others,” focusing his energy on improving his city rather than chasing state or federal office. His chief concerns were better management and more efficient government—goals that led him to take a sometimes critical stance toward the Republican political machine that dominated Rochester, even though his childhood friend George Aldridge was the “boss” of that very machine.

In 1915, Eastman founded and generously funded the Bureau of Municipal Research (known today as the Center for Governmental Research) to shine a light on how municipal governments were run—and often misrun. He was an early advocate of the city manager form of government, which Rochester adopted in 1924, effectively removing much of the city’s administration from partisan politics and placing it in supposedly more professional hands.

Eastman was no fan of the new income tax, which he griped about extensively. He claimed it swallowed up as much as two-thirds of his surplus cash, making his philanthropic efforts all the more difficult.

In the tense aftermath of World War I, Eastman was also wary of the rising tide of Bolshevism, communism, and socialism influencing some of his workers—a common concern among industrialists of his era, reflecting the anxieties of a world unsettled by revolution and labor unrest.

SCANDAL While George Eastman largely maintained a reputation for personal integrity, his business practices were not without controversy. During the trust-busting era, Kodak found itself at the center of government antitrust lawsuits, accused of monopolistic behavior. Although legal proceedings were paused during World War I, they resumed afterward, eventually forcing Kodak to divest some of its divisions to comply with regulations.

In his later years, Eastman was often described as being “embroiled in legal disputes related to his monopolistic activities and his alleged use of other inventors’ ideas without permission,” painting a more complicated picture of the industrial titan.

Eastman’s legacy also includes darker chapters concerning racial discrimination. In 1924, the local NAACP president remarked that “monied interests, of which Mr. Eastman is the leader, may make it tremendously hard for all the colored people in the city.” Contemporary historical research suggests that Eastman’s influence may have played a role in limiting Black migration to Rochester during his lifetime, reflecting the racial tensions and social barriers of the era. (5)

MILITARY RECORD During World War I, Eastman contributed significantly to war efforts through industrial production and civilian leadership. He helped run the Red Cross fundraising drive in Rochester in 1917 and was involved in various wartime community organizing efforts. His company contributed to the war effort through photographic supplies and materials, and he supported various wartime charitable campaigns.

HEALTH AND PHYSICAL FITNESS For much of his life, Eastman had enormous stamina and energy, working tirelessly at his business during the day and conducting experiments late into the night.

In his final two years, Eastman suffered from intense pain caused by what would likely be diagnosed today as lumbar spinal stenosis, a narrowing of the spinal canal. This condition caused considerable back pain and difficulty walking, reducing his mobility to a slow shuffle. He had seen his mother suffer from the same condition during the last two years of her life, which may have influenced his decision about his own fate. The condition left him increasingly disabled and depressed. 

HOMES Eastman's primary residence was his magnificent Colonial Revival mansion at 900 East Avenue in Rochester, built between 1902 and 1905. The 50-room, 35,000-square-foot mansion was constructed of reinforced concrete and cost $335,000 initially (approximately $9 million in today's dollars). The mansion featured modern conveniences including an electrical generator, internal telephone system with 21 stations, built-in vacuum cleaning system, central clock network, and an elevator. 

In 1919, Eastman had the entire mansion literally cut in half and moved 9 feet 4 inches to accommodate an enlarged conservatory, a project that took three months and cost $750,000. 

The estate included working farmland, formal gardens, greenhouses, stables, barns, and pastures spread across 8.5 acres. 

He also owned properties in North Carolina, where he built an elementary school for African American tenants and their neighbors.

TRAVEL Eastman was an enthusiastic and extensive traveler, particularly in his later years. He made frequent trips to Europe, often traveling with his mother or business associates. 

His most famous travels were his African safari expeditions - the first in 1926 at age 72, and a second in 1928. These expeditions were elaborate affairs involving large parties, extensive equipment, and professional documentation. 

He also made a significant trip to Japan in 1920 as part of an American business delegation to improve relations between the two countries. 

Eastman used his travels to combine business interests with personal pleasure, often incorporating visits to cultural institutions and entertainment venues. His approach to travel was characteristically methodical and well-organized, reflecting his business acumen in personal pursuits.

DEATH On March 14, 1932, at age 77, George Eastman died by suicide at his East Avenue mansion. Suffering from intense pain caused by spinal stenosis and seeing no hope for improvement, he shot himself in the heart with a Luger pistol. He left behind a characteristically brief and direct note that read: "To my friends: my work is done. Why wait? GE". 

His funeral was held at St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Rochester, and he was buried on the grounds of Kodak Park, the company he founded. His death was seen by some as his "last gift" to friends, sparing them from watching him suffer through continued deterioration.

APPEARANCES IN MEDIA Various documentary films have been made about his life and contributions to photography and industry. 

The George Eastman Museum houses extensive photographic and film materials related to his life and work. 

He has been featured in numerous books, articles, and educational materials about the history of photography and American industry.

ACHIEVEMENTS Invented roll film, a foundation of modern photography and motion pictures

Founded Eastman Kodak, a global photography giant

Popularized amateur photography with the Kodak and Brownie cameras

Donated more than $100 million to education, healthcare, and the arts

Established the Eastman School of Music and the Eastman Dental Dispensary

Sources (1) PBS (2) Philanthropy Roundtable (3) Rochester Business Journal (4) American Experience (5) Encyclopedia.com