Florida Memory is administered by the Florida Department of State, Division of Library and Information Services, Bureau of Archives and Records Management. The digitized records on Florida Memory come from the collections of the State Archives of Florida and the special collections of the State Library of Florida.
State Archives of Florida
- ArchivesFlorida.com
- State Archives Online Catalog
- ArchivesFlorida.com
- ArchivesFlorida.com
State Library of Florida
Related Sites
Listen: The Assorted Selections ProgramNitrate and Acetate Film
- Nitrate, acetate and polyester film bases were widely used by photographers and filmmakers in the 20th century.
- New cameras, such as the Kodak Brownie, were invented in the early 20th century to accommodate rolls of film.
- As photographic film bases improved so did the quality of motion picture film.
History
Film is the ultimate evolution of wet collodion photography and the main contributor to the ubiquity of photography in contemporary life. Where gelatin plates improved the chemical stability and usability of a wet emulsion, film did away with delicate glass bases in favor of flexible nitrate or acetate plastics. In the history of photography, this improvement might be more accurately stated as: FILM!
Rolls of film allowed photographers to take more than one picture without reloading their cameras. Meanwhile, companies like Eastman Kodak offered mail-away development and printing services, and soon an entire ecosystem of cameras and film that could be used together emerged for hobbyists and professionals alike. Photography, with all its chemical complexities, could be as easy as point and shoot. There were still some flaws with early film bases, however. Namely, nitrate-based film was highly flammable and released oxygen as it burned, making it nearly impossible to extinguish with water. The danger was so severe that large quantities of nitrate film were sometimes stored like explosives. Thus, after its introduction in 1923, acetate “safety” film became the preferred base of film users.
Did You Know?
The State Archives of Florida has significant holdings of film outside of the Florida Photographic Collection in the form of microfilm. Microfilm allows thousands of pages of records to be condensed into a single roll of film. Microfilm uses a polyester base, which is stiffer and stronger than the acetate base favored for photography and movies. The exact length of time remains to be seen, but it is estimated that polyester film has a shelf life of at least 500 years. Check back with an archivist in the 2400s to see how it’s doing!
All American Girls Professional Baseball League player Marg Callaghan sliding into home plate as umpire Norris Ward watches, 1948. (State Archives of Florida)
