Eastman's father died when Eastman was about eight years old; his mother was a semi-invalid. Because of these family hardships, Eastman began to work at the early age of fourteen years. His first job was as an office boy; he eventually became a bookkeeper for the Rochester Savings Bank. Although his work did not directly relate to his interests in photography, he had time after work to experiment.<\P>
Eastman was not interested only interested in photography, but also in travel. To capture the marvels that he saw traveling, Eastman wanted to take pictures. This desire encouraged him to buy a wet-plate process from a local photographer. However, this process was rather laborious, and Eastman decided to try to develop a dry-plate emulsion, which he had read about in an English photographic almanac.
After much experimentation, Eastman developed plates that could be coded with an emulsion when manufactured, and then brought to the place where the picture was to be taken. This process was much more convenient than the wet-place process previously used by photographers. With the financial support of Henry A. Strong, Eastman was able to secure a large manufacturing space and quit his job as the bookkeeper for Rochester Savings Bank. By 1880, Eastman was manufacturing his dry plates on a limited scale.<\P>
A local photographer indirectly helped Eastman to expand his business. While the photographer was using Eastman's dry plates in the Thousand Islands, a well-off photographic supply house noticed the photographer was not using wet mounts. After inquiring about the dry plates, the executive contacted Eastman and later helped him to sell to retailers for a profit. Although this was a step in the right direction, Eastman soon ran into problems with his plates.