Show the boyhood e 0 of famous vr by americans fit braid jgerald george eastman the young bank clerk cleric was in need of a vacation lie fie had been working hard la in the confinement t of a bank his 1 health nas n as poor 0 lie fie planned on taking a trip to S san a n dolln domingo 0 o where here lie united states was 4 likely ely to buy a naval base according to the gossip of the day lie ile told the ilie engineer of the bank of his k plans the latter at advised him to take a photographic outfit with him tills this was in the days of president grants administration while the trip never materialized george kastman eastman the young bank clerk then and there be began gan a deep study of photography ile he ila had been interested in the art from the time he was fifteen years old but until he made plans for a southern trip he had never really applied himself to the study of the subject the result ot of ills his studies gave the world the kodak and the modern ern process of photography george eastman was born in Wat waterville erville N Y in 1854 A few years year later his father moved to Roc rochester helter where he established a commercial school teaching bis big pupils business methods by actual the father died in george was an only son he was a quiet and somewhat shy lad his mother made many sacrifices to keep him in school until he was fourteen years old she t taught aught him never to buy anything unless he could pay for it with the result that he was never in debt he got his first job as tin an office boy in an insurance office his wages amounted to 3 a week he fie worked his way up until he be was getting GOO COO a year frequently he labored over his books blohs eleven hours a day ile he had a chance to become a bookkeeper in a savings bank at 1000 a year the young man hesitate about accepting an opportunity that brought with it such a substantial increase in salary when his pay was low his mother had taken in boarders so as to keep a nice home for tier her only son ife he was twenty years old when he went to work in the bank he remained there seven years during d ur which time lie he tool took up tile the study of photography I 1 in n earnest in view of ills his contemplated trip to the west indies ile he brought a camera and took lessons on oil t the e wet plate process glass class plates were in use then they had to be sensitized before using a tedious process this meant that tile the photographer of elie day had to carry a bulky equipment if lie worked in the field treatment of the plates made it necessary to take a silver bath anil and dark tent so ns as to prepare uie the plates properly to receive an image the amateur enthusiast took such an equipment with him on a trip to lake superior which was a substitute for the planned but not carried out excursion to san domingo ills his experience on ills vacation showed him that the joys of picture taking could be made available to every one only through the perfection of a process which would substitute compact and light equipment for the bulk bulky v paraphernalia and eliminate the tedious process of preparing each plate meanwhile his career in was not dot progressing to suit him the official assistant lie he was resigned his position young rast past mans work lind find been most satisfactory ile he looked forward confidently fi to moving up a notch and sump succeeding eding his immediate superior put but he fie get the jot job the place went to a relative of one of the directors of tile the institution that convinced him that he hart bar better get out of the linnic hank as soon as Pim possible sible ne he determined determine to go on his own when he could see his way clear to do so lie he rented a small room for or his experiments in the dry plate process he fie worked ann and int ill gently hut but not without the disappointments point ments that come to till nil inventors ile he was often too tired to undress when millen he went to bed fre he slept from saturday night until monday morning hwak f ening only to eat cat the meals his devoted mother brought to him ife he have to seek beek mo money ney to finance his experiments hl mother hart had taught him thrift Ds as a 8 little fellow and he never forgot the lesson ile he saved the 11 first year he worked ile he had 2500 in the bank when he was twenty five years old ills his first photo photographic equipment cost him film nearly henrly from that he built the great I 1 industrial du concern which today bears mrs hla his name a 1020 by the north Arn arloan newspaper alliance |