View source for Rochester (New York)

{{Rochester}}
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|image_text=Rochester, Genesee river, Skyline, in the middle [[Bausch & Lomb]] headquarters
|image_by=Jason Petralia
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| image_text=Cameras of [[Blair]] (top) and<br/>[[Kodak]],
| image_by= Rick Soloway
| image_rights=with permission
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'''Rochester''' is the iconic oldest metropolis of the World's optical industry. The best known companies are the contacts maker [[Bausch & Lomb]] and the 20th century's dominating camera maker [[Kodak]]. Many of the actual and former optical companies dedicated at least a part of their workforce to the making of [[camera]]s, camera [[lens]]es, [[film]], camera accessories and other photographic goods. "Rochester-made means quality" was a wide-spread motto from 1890 to 1930.

Rochester was founded in 1803 by Colonel '''Nathaniel Rochester''' who wanted to use the water power of the Genesee river's cataracts. The success was that the town became the greatest centre of flour production of the [[United States of America|USA]] until 1838. It became a boomtown in the 1820s when the Erie Canal was opened. The aqueduct across the river still exists. In 1847 the abolitionists founded their renowned newspaper "The North Star" in Rochester. In 1864 optician John Jacob Bausch and his supporting friend Henry Lomb transformed Bausch's "Optical Institute" into a real optical factory which produced spectacles. The flour mills declined, other industries arose. Around 1880 some influential makers of photographic products started their business in Rochester:
*[[William H. Walker|Walker]] (1880, made [[box camera]]s, was renamed to [[Rochester Optical Co.]] in 1883)
*[[Kodak|Eastman]] (1881, made [[plate]]s)
Then [[Bausch & Lomb]] started to deliver lenses for the new photography businesses. From 1890 to 1900 several new optical businesses were founded, some by former employees of the early companies. Several of these companies were bought by [[Eastman Kodak]] which became the world's unique photography business giant from 1900 until its decline in the 1980s. Bausch & Lomb successfully made a transition from a maker of photo optics to a leading producer of contact lenses.

Some notable photographers were residing in Rochester, maybe inspiring the camera constructors of the city, for example Albert R. Stone who's collection of negatives is a renowned resource for Rochester history. The '''Rochester Museum & Science Center''' owns the collection. Another important institution is the '''[[George Eastman House]]''', the classical style villa, once the representative home of [[George Eastman]], now one of the most renowned museums of photography history. Last not least '''The Institute of Optics''' at the University of Rochester must be mentioned.

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==Links==
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|image_text= Sign of shop with [[Seneca]] products
|image_by= Kodakcollector
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|image= http://farm2.staticflickr.com/1213/533902854_97e4fb0b90_m.jpg
|image_align= right
|image_text= [[Kodak]] headquarter
|image_by= Joel Witmeyer
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}}{{Flickr_image
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|image_align= right
|image_text= [[Bausch & Lomb]] headquarter
|image_by= Jason Petralia
|image_rights= commercial
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|image_align= right
|image_text= Kodak folder
|image_by= Süleyman Demir
|image_rights= (c)
}}



*Links to PDF documents at [http://www3.libraryweb.org/home2.aspx Central Library of Rochester and Monroe County]
**[http://www.libraryweb.org/~rochhist/v50_1988/v50i1.pdf Rochester through the lens of Charles Zoller]
**[http://www.libraryweb.org/~rochhist/v11_1949/v11i2.pdf city history by Blake McKelvey]
**[http://www.libraryweb.org/~rochhist/v11_1949/v11i2.pdf a brief look at the 20th century through the lens of a camera by citi historian Ruth Rosenberg-Naparsteck]
*Links of the [http://www.rmsc.org/ Rochester Museum & Science Center]
**[http://libcat.rmsc.org/aquabrowser/?q=albert+R.+stone Albert R. Stone] image archive
*[http://www.eastmanhouse.org/ George Eastman House]
*[http://www.optics.rochester.edu/ The Institute of Optics] of the University of Rochester
*[http://rocwiki.org/Front_Page The Rochester Wiki]
* [http://mcnygenealogy.com/book/index.htm On-line Books, Magazines, etc. of Monroe County, NY] at [http://mcnygenealogy.com/index.htm GenWeb of Monroe County, NY]
** [http://mcnygenealogy.com/book/kodak/index.htm On-line Magazines, Newspapers, Books, etc. of the Eastman Kodak Company]


[[Category:Rochester|*]]
[[Category:Places]]