Uploaded March 2025 | Updated September 2026, 3 days ago
The Patent Museum, Eastman Kodak Company's corporate museum, was established 1923 as a repository for a nearly complete set of all of the company's photographic related manufactured products, including design studies, engineering models, and prototypes produced during the twentieth century. Assembled by numerous Kodak employees, the collection also included products made by its worldwide competitors, as it was used for research purposes related to patent matters, quality comparison, and testing. Eastman Kodak Company donated the Patent Museum to the George Eastman Museum in several installments, beginning in December 1989, which consisted of cameras made from 1887 to 1975, with a second gift in 2009, then gifts of their digital camera 2012 and 2013.
Technology curator Todd Gustavson will highlight some of the most interesting and unusual items from the Patent Museum collection. Items include some of the earliest known Eastman cameras, including the Eastman Interchangeable View camera of 1887, the earliest known Kodak camera (serial #6 of 1887), the collections earliest known Japanese camera (the Korok camera made by Konishi Honten in 1914, the 8 x 10-inch Deardorff Commercial View camera of 1923, and the Nippon Kogaku Nikon camera of 1948.
The Patent Museum, Eastman Kodak Company's corporate museum, was established 1923 as a repository for a nearly complete set of all of the company's photographic related manufactured products, including design studies, engineering models, and prototypes produced during the twentieth century. Assembled by numerous Kodak employees, the collection also included products made by its worldwide competitors, as it was used for research purposes related to patent matters, quality comparison, and testing. Eastman Kodak Company donated the Patent Museum to the George Eastman Museum in several installments, beginning in December 1989, which consisted of cameras made from 1887 to 1975, with a second gift in 2009, then gifts of their digital camera 2012 and 2013.
Technology curator Todd Gustavson will highlight some of the most interesting and unusual items from the Patent Museum collection. Items include some of the earliest known Eastman cameras, including the Eastman Interchangeable View camera of 1887, the earliest known Kodak camera (serial #6 of 1887), the collections earliest known Japanese camera (the Korok camera made by Konishi Honten in 1914, the 8 x 10-inch Deardorff Commercial View camera of 1923, and the Nippon Kogaku Nikon camera of 1948.
