George Eastman Museum — Attraction in City of Rochester

The Kodak Legacy and Rochester, NY 🎬📸📽️📷❤️ ———————————————————————————- You Press the Button, We do the Rest

For the photography enthusiasts of 20th Century (and their children), the names Kodak and Eastman hold a special place in their hearts, symbolizing not just a brand but a symbol of innovation, creativity, and the power of capturing moments ❤️❤️❤️

Established by George Eastman, the headquarters of Eastman Kodak Company are in Rochester, New York. With the slogan "you press the button, we do the rest," George Eastman put the first simple camera into the hands of a world of consumers in 1888. In so doing, he made a cumbersome and complicated process easy to use and accessible to nearly everyone.

Photographs serve as physical manifestations of captured memories, allowing them to be shared, displayed, and cherished for generations. Whether it’s a framed photograph adorning a wall or a photo album passed down through a family, prints have a unique ability to evoke emotions and memories in a way that digital images often cannot replicate.

Countless photos lying inside cupboards often hold a treasure trove of memories waiting to be rediscovered. They may represent moments of joy, love, or nostalgia captured in time. While tucked away, these photos still retain their power to evoke emotions and transport us back to cherished moments.

The Rochester estate ( House) of George Eastman (1854–1932) was bequeathed upon his death to the University of Rochester. In 1948, the university transferred the property to the museum and the Georgian Revival Style mansion was adapted to serve the museum's operations.

The George Eastman Museum, also referred to as George Eastman House, International Museum of Photography and Film is the world's oldest museum dedicated to photography and one of the world's oldest film archives, opened to the public in 1949 in Rochester, New York.

THIS SURPRISINGLY REASONABLY-SIZED COMPLEX LOCATED in a residential neighborhood is not just a simple testament to the life and accomplishments of George Eastman. It’s the epicenter of everything Kodak and George Eastman once proudly stood for.

It houses one of the biggest collections of photography equipment in the world. The ever-changing photography exhibits are unique, different, and expansive. It’s home to the third largest film archive in the world. After a twelve and half million-dollar expansion in the late 1980s, it also became a hub for film preservation technology.

Eastman was also an avid explorer and huntsman. He would go on regular safaris to Africa, bagging himself elephants, rhinos, and antelope. He would then would use the taxidermied animals as decorations, ashtrays, and umbrella holders, which are all on display. (The elephant head is a facsimile based on a plaster cast of the original. Legend has it that the real elephant head is buried under the Rochester Zoo.)

On March 4th, 1932, riddled with a degenerative disorder that affected his spine and rendering him hardly able to walk, he went into his bedroom and shot himself in the heart. He left a note that read, “To my friends: my work is done. Why wait?”

You are able to enter his bedroom which is now a hands-on mini lab to see how photographs used to be made, and the note is on display in the second floor East-front sitting room. Unfortunately the gun disappeared shortly after his death.

On the night he died, George Eastman hosted a dinner party. After his guests left, he penned a note less than 10 words long. Then, he killed himself.

It wasn’t an unusual moment in the life of the 77-year-old man from Rochester, New York, who was known as “the father of photography” due to his achievements with Kodak and making photography easy and accessible for everybody. ———————————————————————————

Indeed, life’s journey often leads us to unexpected locations, yet along the way, we often encounter connections – whether with people, places, or experiences – that add depth and meaning to our path. This visit to Eastman House was indeed a meaningful...

I loved everything about this museum. Ticket admission includes the Mansion and Gardens. We visited on a week day so there wasn't a wait to purchase tickets and it was a quiet day as far as crowds. Tickets maybe ordered on line if you choose.The museum offers a discount for senior citizens. Also a tour is included in the admission price the web site can provide more information including a calender of special events and concerts. The Museum is laid out nicely and it is handicap accessible as well as the parking lot. The parking lot is spacious. After purchasing your tickets you will be greeted by a customer service representative who will give maps and explain the lay out which is a nice layout and makes it easy to find your way around the museum. Two nice gift shops are located next to the entry desk and I was impressed with not only the variety of items to purchase by the prices as well. This museum is a family friendly one and has lots of activities for children to have fun with as well as Learn. We spent time in the gardens which were beautiful as well as the mansion. It was impressing to see the photogrenaphs of the rooms from the 1930s in the exact replica style. We stopped in PEN face which is the spacious resturant inside George Eastman Museum. It's a large resturant and has a room with a spacious dining area overlooking the gardens. Orders are taken at the front counter and the server will bring the food to your table when ready. Pen Face menu consists of sandwiches soups and salad. I liked the fact that healthy options were included in the menu. I opted for the chickpea sandwich on wheat. (you have a choice of breads to choose from) The bread was so fresh it tasted home made. Chicken PEA salad had mashed garlic pesto parmasean wafer Cucumber and mixed greens. Simply scrumptious. Sandwiches comes with one side I chose the cold ginger carrats which didn't disappoint. A education fun day at the George Eastman Museum and I highly reccomend a visit. I plan on going back to see more...

As an avid amateur photographer, I Have looked forward to this museum for months, every since we decided to come to Rochester N.Y. Sadly the mansion was closed to the public due to renovations. I still expected the museum to provide a wonderful array of photographic history, so we didn't balk at the still full price admission ($22 per person) required, even with the biggest part shut down. Once inside we found that the museum consisted of only one functioning video of some (a few) of the earliest moving photographs (movies) and three petite galleries tangentially related to photography. One is an introspective on modern youth discussing how they view problems in the world around them in their own words, which could have been produced on any smart phone today. Another is a large-ish collection of obsolete and antique cameras that any experienced photographer might have in his studio with the exception of one impressive lunar landing camera and one 220° fisheye lens. The last held perhaps 30-40 photographs and a few stories relating to them.

The rest of the galleries (including the main one) were closed for loading/building or some other sort of maintenance without even so much as an expected by date. Judging by the look of the rooms through locked doors they had been in that state for a while.

As you can see from the photos, the gardens which represent about a third of the property were in disarray and very poorly maintained with weeds that even I wouldn't tolerate in my garden, and I'm not much of a gardener.

Lastly the original mansion building has plenty of its own neglected maintenance issues, at least the part you can see from the outside.

One thing they made sure was available and up to snuff, was the, as expected snack bar and gift shop. If you are OK with paying double a reasonable price, you could enjoy that aspect of the museum.

I'd recommend skipping the Eastman museum and checking out the Susan B Anthony house instead, it...