The Reverend Hannibal Goodwin (1822-1900), an Episcopal priest at the House of Prayer in Newark, New Jersey patented a method for making transparent, flexible roll film out of nitrocellulose film base, which was used in Thomas Edison's Kinetoscope, an early machine for viewing animation. He was motivated to search for a non-breakable, and clear substance on which he could place the images he utilized in his Biblical teachings. George Eastman was no doubt a member of the audience during this time. In May 2, 1887, the year Reverend Goodwin retired from the church he had served for twenty years, he filed a patent for "a photographic pellicle and process of producing same . . . . especially in connection with roller cameras", but the patent was not granted until 13 September 1898. Patent number: 610861
In the meantime, George Eastman had already started production of roll-film using his own process. In 1900, Goodwin set up the Goodwin Film & Camera Co. but before film production had started he was involved in a street accident near a construction site and died from his injuries.
His patent was sold to Ansco who successfully sued Eastman Kodak for infringement of the patent and was awarded $5,000,000.
External links
- Hannibal Goodwin at Plasticquarian
- PBS History of Photography timeline
- Dr. Dan's Movie Page
- Invention & Technology article about Goodwin/Eastman patent dispute
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