Kodak at a glance
Kodak is an American company from Rochester, New York, founded by George Eastman. For most of the 20th century it was the world’s best-known maker of film and simple cameras, and its slogan “You press the button, we do the rest” made photography a hobby for millions. Today Kodak still makes still and motion picture film, and the Kodak name appears on cameras made by other companies under license.
History
1881. George Eastman and Henry Strong founded the Eastman Dry Plate Company.
1888. The first Kodak camera was sold already loaded with film for 100 pictures. Customers sent the whole camera back for developing and reloading.
1892. The company was renamed Eastman Kodak.
1900. The Brownie, a cardboard box camera that cost one dollar, was marketed to children and families.
1934. Kodak introduced the 135 film cartridge with its Retina camera. The 35mm film format itself goes back to the Leica of 1925.
1935. Kodachrome became the first successful color slide film for the mass market.
1963. The Instamatic cameras used easy-loading film cartridges.
1975. Kodak engineer Steven Sasson built the first handheld digital camera prototype.
2012 to 2013. Kodak filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in January 2012 and emerged in September 2013 as a smaller company.
2018 onward. Ektachrome slide film returned in September 2018, part of a wider return of film photography.
Films
Kodak films have shaped the look of photography for a century. Well-known current or recent emulsions include Tri-X (black and white), Portra and Ektar (color negative), Gold and UltraMax (consumer color negative) and Ektachrome E100 (color slide). Since the bankruptcy, Kodak still films were for many years distributed by the spinoff Kodak Alaris.
Cameras with the Kodak name
Kodak itself no longer develops cameras. Digital compacts (PIXPRO) and some film cameras with the Kodak name are made by other companies under license.
Photographers and Kodak
Many photographers in Photopedia shot on Kodak film. Edward Steichen and Nan Goldin are among those whose work is closely tied to Kodak materials.
Sources: Kodak (Wikipedia).
Last updated: November 2026
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