Companies/United States • Curated by Admin Timeline.sg
A timeline of Eastman Kodak's journey from its 19th-century founding to dominating the film market, peaking in the 1990s, and declining into bankruptcy amid the digital photography revolution.
Chronological Storyline (21 Milestones)
Jan 1, 1881 CE
Eastman Dry Plate Company founded
George Eastman and Henry Strong established the Eastman Dry Plate Company in Rochester, New York, laying the groundwork for mass-market photography. Picture: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2a/George_Eastman.jpg
https://youtu.be/zQ6I1lm-wC0?si=ZkphvU7mNKYkEbWD
Rise and fall of KodakGeorge Eastman By Published by B. C. Forbes Publishing Company, New York, 1917 - https://archive.org/details/menwhoaremakinga00forb, Public domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=19172293
Sep 4, 1888 CE
First Kodak camera launched
George Eastman introduced the first Kodak camera, pre-loaded with a 100-exposure roll of film, marketed with the slogan 'You press the button, we do the rest.' Picture: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c0/Kodak_No._2_camera.jpg
New Kodak logo, used since October 19 2016, similar to the 1971 to 2006 version, albeit with vertical lettering. By Work-Order Studio - https://www.kodak.com/, Public domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=52387539
Jan 1, 1892 CE
Eastman Kodak Company formed
The business was reorganized and officially incorporated as the Eastman Kodak Company, solidifying its brand identity in the photographic industry. Picture: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4f/Eastman_Kodak_headquarters_1919.jpg
New Kodak logo, used since October 19 2016, similar to the 1971 to 2006 version, albeit with vertical lettering. By Work-Order Studio - https://www.kodak.com/, Public domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=52387539
Mar 1, 1900 CE
Brownie camera introduced
Kodak launched the Brownie camera priced at just one dollar, making photography accessible to the masses and driving massive sales of film and processing. Picture: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9b/Brownie_Camera_Original_Model.jpg
Found a Brownie camera in good shape at Granny's Antiques in Payson. By cogdogblog - https://www.flickr.com/photos/cogdog/14809795240/, CC0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=56942780
Apr 15, 1935 CE
Kodachrome film invented
Kodak introduced Kodachrome, the first successfully mass-marketed color film, renowned for its rich color reproduction and archival durability. Picture: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5b/Kodachrome_25_film.jpg
Mar 1, 1963 CE
Instamatic camera released
The Kodak Instamatic camera line was introduced, utilizing a drop-in cartridge film system that made amateur photography easier than ever before. Picture: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5e/Kodak_Instamatic_104.jpg
Kodak Instamatic and film cassette By Friedrich Haag - Self-photographed, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=39533869
Dec 1, 1975 CE
First digital camera prototype
Kodak engineer Steven Sasson invented the world's first digital camera, but the company shelved the technology to protect its film sales. Picture: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4b/Digital_camera_1975.jpg
Steven Sasson, the inventor of digital photography, during an appearance at the Kodak booth at Photokina 2010 By Aljawad - Own work, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=12011985
Jan 1, 1981 CE
Sony Mavica threatens film
Sony introduced the Mavica electronic still camera, prompting Kodak to commission a report warning that digital photography could cannibalize its film business. Picture: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/97/Sony_Mavica_MVC-FD5.jpg
Sony headquaters in 2023 By Akonnchiroll - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=136519522
Jan 1, 1984 CE
Fuji breaks Kodak film monopoly
Japanese competitor Fujifilm became the official film sponsor of the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, breaking Kodak's long-standing dominance in the US market. Picture: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9c/Fujifilm_Logo.svg
Jan 1, 1991 CE
Kodak DCS-100 launched
Kodak released the DCS-100, the first commercially available digital single-lens reflex camera, showing early innovation in digital imaging technology. Picture: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3b/Kodak_DCS_100.jpg
Kodak DCS 100, based on a Nikon F3 body with a monstrous Digital Storage Unit, released in May, 1991. The images were 1.3 MP and stored on a 200 Meg hard drive in the shoulder-carried DSU. Eastman House, Rochester, NY Hey, I remember when cell phones were this big too! By John - Flickr: Early digital!, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=13765815
Jan 1, 1994 CE
QuickTake camera partnership
Kodak partnered with Apple to release the Apple QuickTake 100, one of the first consumer digital cameras, while struggling to define its own digital strategy. Picture: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9c/Apple_QuickTake_100.jpg
New Kodak logo, used since October 19 2016, similar to the 1971 to 2006 version, albeit with vertical lettering. By Work-Order Studio - https://www.kodak.com/, Public domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=52387539
Jan 1, 1996 CE
Peak revenue and market share
Kodak reached its zenith with nearly $16 billion in revenue and commanded roughly 90% of the US film market, operating a highly profitable razor-and-blades model. Picture: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8d/Kodak_film_canisters.jpg
New Kodak logo, used since October 19 2016, similar to the 1971 to 2006 version, albeit with vertical lettering. By Work-Order Studio - https://www.kodak.com/, Public domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=52387539
Jan 1, 1999 CE
Photo CD system struggles
Kodak's Photo CD system failed to gain widespread consumer adoption, highlighting the company's difficulty transitioning its physical film customers to digital formats. Picture: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/95/Kodak_Photo_CD.jpg
Logo of Compact disc . By Philips - http://www.philips.com/, PD, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=9283183
Jan 1, 2003 CE
Digital strategy pivot announced
Kodak announced a major shift away from film toward digital products, but the transition was too late as competitors had already captured the digital market. Picture: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4f/Kodak_EasyShare_DX6490.jpg
New Kodak logo, used since October 19 2016, similar to the 1971 to 2006 version, albeit with vertical lettering. By Work-Order Studio - https://www.kodak.com/, Public domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=52387539
Jan 1, 2004 CE
Traditional film sales plummet
Kodak stopped selling traditional film cameras in North America and Europe as digital camera sales exploded, marking the end of an era for the company's core business. Picture: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6b/Kodak_35mm_film.jpg
Undeveloped 35 mm film roll By Unknown author - https://www.rawpixel.com/image/6040055/analog-film-roll-free-public-domain-cc0-image, CC0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=129069567
Jan 1, 2005 CE
EasyShare digital success
Kodak briefly became the top seller of digital cameras in the US with its EasyShare line, but low margins prevented it from replacing lost film profits. Picture: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5e/Kodak_EasyShare_V570.jpg
Advertising revenue as percent of United States Gross Domestic Product, showing print, audio-visual, and digital components Source: Measuring the “Free” Digital Economy Within the GDP and Productivity Accounts. SSRN.com 37 (Fig. 3). Social Science Research Network publishing working paper 17-37 of the Research Department, Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia (October 24, 2017). Archived from the original on March 20, 2021. Uploader generated 24 Kbyte file with Inkscape, and cleaned up to be 14 KBytes By RCraig09 - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=104760212
Jan 9, 2007 CE
iPhone disrupts camera market
Apple introduced the iPhone, integrating a capable digital camera into a smartphone, which rapidly eroded the standalone digital camera market Kodak was trying to dominate. ) Picture: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/27/IPhone_Original.jpg
A vector render of the 1st generation iPhone. By Rafael Fernandez - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=63395591
Jun 22, 2009 CE
Kodachrome film discontinued
Kodak officially retired Kodachrome film after 74 years, citing declining sales and the difficulty of processing the iconic film stock. Picture: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8f/Kodachrome_slide.jpg
Sep 30, 2011 CE
Patent sale and cash crisis
Kodak hired investment firm Lazard to explore selling its digital imaging patent portfolio to raise cash amid mounting financial losses. Picture: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5c/Kodak_building_rochester.jpg
Icon showing a copyright symbol in a lightbulb from The Noun Project By Arthur Shlain - The Noun Project, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=61325063
Jan 19, 2012 CE
Chapter 11 bankruptcy filed
Eastman Kodak filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, ending a long decline caused by its failure to adapt to the digital photography revolution. Picture: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4d/Kodak_logo.svg
New Kodak logo, used since October 19 2016, similar to the 1971 to 2006 version, albeit with vertical lettering. By Work-Order Studio - https://www.kodak.com/, Public domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=52387539
Sep 3, 2013 CE
Emerges from bankruptcy
Kodak emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy as a much smaller company, pivoting away from consumer photography to focus on commercial imaging and printing. Picture: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9e/Kodak_Office_Building_Rochester_NY.jpg
Two World Financial Center in New York City, in July 2006. By Aude, CC BY-SA 2.5, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=8094951
