Eastman's Gelatine Dry Plates

George Eastman was among the first to demonstrate the great convenience of gelatin dry plates over the cumbersome wet plate process. Dry plates could be exposed and then brought back to the darkroom, eliminating the need to bring chemicals and processing equipment in the field. In 1880, Eastman began to commercially manufacture dry plates, founding the Eastman Dry Plate Company. With the emulsion-coating machine in his factory, George Eastman was able to standardize the plates, resulting in evenly coated, mass-produced plates made in a variety of sizes for professional photographers.