Everyone has heard of inventors like Thomas Edison or Samuel Morse, but one of the many great inventors who gets overlooked is George Eastman. Eastman revolutionized the world of photography. Today taking photos has become very easy, but it wasn't always like this. Eastman was born in Waterville, New York, on July 12, 1854, and spent his early childhood on a large farm owned by his parents. His father George W. Eastman, a teacher, ran a college in Rochester, New York. His mother, Maria Kilbourn, cared for young George and his two older sisters. Later in 1860, as his health began to fail, George's father abandoned the farm and moved the family to Rochester. His father died when he was seven, two years after the family moved to Rochester. His mother was forced to take in boarders to supplement the family's small income. Eastman also had two older sisters, Ellen Maria and Katie. Katie was struck by polio at an early age and was confined to a wheelchair. He died in 1870 leaving his family shocked. George was educated in the public schools of Rochester, but dropped out at the age of fourteen to work and help his mother. His first job, as a delivery boy at an insurance company, paid $3 a week. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get Original Essay A year later, he became an employee for another insurance company. Soon he was in charge of policy filing and even wrote the policies. His pay increased to $5 a week. But despite this increase, his income was not enough to meet family expenses. He studied accounting at home to get a better-paying job. In 1874, after five years in the insurance business, he was hired as a junior clerk at the Rochester Savings Bank. His salary increased to more than $15 a week. Although the accountant's job solved his financial problems, Eastman strived for something more. He soon decided to get into real estate, and by 1877 he had saved enough money to take the first step. At the time, Hispaniola, located in the Caribbean, was experiencing a land boom. Eastman decided to go there and investigate on his own. To document his visit he bought a camera. Although he never made the trip, he devoted himself completely to photography. In 1870 American photography was still slow, difficult, and expensive. The equipment included a huge camera, a sturdy tripod, a large license plate holder, a dark curtain, chemicals, a water container and heavy sheets of glass. At the time, photography was still a fairly new development and taking photos wasn't easy. Photographers had to cover slides with a solution of silver and other chemicals; multiple chemicals were used to develop the image. This work had to be done in the dark, so photographers taking photos outdoors had to carry tents with them.