Hannibal Goodwin

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Hannibal Williston Goodwin (born April 21, 1822 in Tompkins County , New York , † December 31, 1900 ) was an American clergyman and inventor.

life and work

Goodwin directed the House of Prayer , an Episcopalian church in Newark , New Jersey , from 1867 to 1887; he succeeded in making 24 inventions without special scientific training, 15 of which were patented .

Through lengthy series of experiments, he invented the flexible photographic film on celluloid basis, which he applied for a patent in the USA on May 2, 1887 ( "photographic pellicle and process of producing same [...] especially in connection with roller cameras" ). Goodwin fought for eleven years with the George Eastman Company - today's Kodak - which for its part claimed to have invented roll film in 1888, applied for patents under the name of Henry M. Reichenbach and marketed roll films with great success. Goodwin was granted US Patent 610,861 on September 13, 1898, two years before his death, and the Eastman Company was fined $ 5 million (according to other sources, Ansco later sued the Eastman Company , who did so Patent was finally granted on March 10, 1914).

Goodwin founded Goodwin Film & Camera Co. in 1900 , but he died that year before film-making began.

After Goodwin's death, the patent was sold to Ansco , who honored Goodwin at the 1909 National Photography Association Convention ; Ansco also brought a number of box and folding cameras onto the market under his name until the 1930s .

In 1914, Goodwin's church friends and a local photography club donated a plaque in a public library with the following inscription:

"His experiments culminated in 1887 in the invention of the photographic film. As a memorial to the inventor of the device that has proved so potent for the instruction and entertainment of mankind this tablet is erected" .

The Goodwin Glacier in Antarctica has been named after him since 1960 .

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Hannibal Goodwin at A History of Photography

See also

personal data
SURNAME Goodwin, Hannibal
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Goodwin, Hannibal Williston (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American clergyman and inventor
DATE OF BIRTH April 21, 1822
PLACE OF BIRTH Tompkins County , New York
DATE OF DEATH December 31, 1900