In 1888, Eastman patented Kodak roll film and released the Kodak No. 1 box camera. The company’s business model — selling film, then processing and printing photos taken on that film for their customers — made photography available to the public for the first time. Before then, photography was a complex process that required knowledge of chemistry and the ability to operate large, heavy equipment.
Later, when Kodak introduced the Brownie in 1900 and sold it for a dollar, photography went completely mainstream. The company dominated the film sales and development market in the 20th century and successfully marketed its automatic cameras as important for capturing fleeting moments – at home and on vacation.
But digital camera sales began to outpace film camera sales in the early 2000s, and Kodak failed to keep up. They filed for bankruptcy in 2012 but still exist and sell movies, albeit in much smaller markets.
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