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U.S. Patent No.: 306,470
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George Eastman
On October 14 of the year 1884, George Eastman (the founder of Kodak) and William H. Walker received two patents (U.S. Patent Nos.: 306,470 and 306,594), both entitled "Photographic Film". While generic today, the titles themselves were quite revolutionary at the time. This is because the patents covered the first photographic film.
Prior to the invention of Eastman and Walker, photographs were conventionally taken using a process known as "wet plate" photography. In this process, just before a photograph was taken, a hard glass plate treated with a chemical coating was sensitized to light in a nitrate bath. Needless to say, "wet plate" photography required a lot of equipment that was not easily transportable. This lack of portability, coupled with the discovery of a dry plate photographic emulsion, gave Eastman the idea for photographic film. After much experimentation and with the help of Walker, Eastman eventually developed a coating and a method of applying it to a flexible substrate, such as paper. The coated paper they developed became the subject of the '470 and '594 patents.
The application for the '594 patent was filed several months before the application of the '470 patent. The '594 patent was directed to a flexible substrate, such as paper, coated on one side with an inner layer composed of a soluble gelatin and an outer layer composed of an insoluble sensitized gelatin. Apparently, the film of the '594 patent suffered from the defect of curling and twisting, which was remedied by the invention of the '470 patent. In the '470 patent, the other side of the flexible substrate was coated with a layer of gelatin.
The invention of photographic film and its subsequent mounting to a rollholder in a camera revolutionized photography because it greatly simplified the process and made it portable. The adoption of photographic film, however, was slow because most of the photographers at the time were studio photographers, who wanted to preserve the mystique of photography through the use of the wet plate process. It wasn't until Eastman decided to market his photographic film and cameras to the public at large that photographic film became popular.
Prior to the invention of Eastman and Walker, photographs were conventionally taken using a process known as "wet plate" photography. In this process, just before a photograph was taken, a hard glass plate treated with a chemical coating was sensitized to light in a nitrate bath. Needless to say, "wet plate" photography required a lot of equipment that was not easily transportable. This lack of portability, coupled with the discovery of a dry plate photographic emulsion, gave Eastman the idea for photographic film. After much experimentation and with the help of Walker, Eastman eventually developed a coating and a method of applying it to a flexible substrate, such as paper. The coated paper they developed became the subject of the '470 and '594 patents.
The application for the '594 patent was filed several months before the application of the '470 patent. The '594 patent was directed to a flexible substrate, such as paper, coated on one side with an inner layer composed of a soluble gelatin and an outer layer composed of an insoluble sensitized gelatin. Apparently, the film of the '594 patent suffered from the defect of curling and twisting, which was remedied by the invention of the '470 patent. In the '470 patent, the other side of the flexible substrate was coated with a layer of gelatin.
The invention of photographic film and its subsequent mounting to a rollholder in a camera revolutionized photography because it greatly simplified the process and made it portable. The adoption of photographic film, however, was slow because most of the photographers at the time were studio photographers, who wanted to preserve the mystique of photography through the use of the wet plate process. It wasn't until Eastman decided to market his photographic film and cameras to the public at large that photographic film became popular.
One last, interesting note about the photographic film patents was that the patent attorney who obtained the patents for Eastman was George B. Selden, who is better known for his impact on the early automobile. In 1879, Selden filed, on his own behalf, the first U.S. patent application for an automobile powered by a liquid hydrocarbon engine. Through a manipulation of the patent system, Selden delayed the issuance of his patent until 1895, when the market for gasoline-powered automobiles started to take off. Through his patent, Selden was able to collect royalties for every automobile manufactured in the U.S. until he was stopped by Henry Ford in 1911. In this regard, some consider Selden to be the first "patent troll".
In an intersting twist of history, Selden's patent (U.S. Patent No.: 549,160) was witnessed by, you guessed it, George Eastman.
In an intersting twist of history, Selden's patent (U.S. Patent No.: 549,160) was witnessed by, you guessed it, George Eastman.