Eastman Kodak Company in the U.S.A. published a variety of newsletters for their staff during the 20th and 21st centuries. While the name of the newsletters changed over time, the overall aim of the newsletters, to make Kodak employees in the United States of America 'better acquainted' with each other and also with the company itself, didn't change.

The first of these publications is believed to have been the Kodak Park Bulletin, first published in 1898, and succeeded by The Kodak Magazine in June 1920. It is unclear whether this completely replaced the Kodak Park Bulletin or if it was a rebranding of the original newsletter to make it more inclusive of the wider Eastman Kodak Company in America.

The Kodak Magazine was discontinued in 1932 when it became necessary to make some funding cutbacks and due to the magazine itself not being considered to be up to a high enough standard, possibly by the internal management although this is not explicitly stated. The absence of a staff newsletter, however, was 'regretted' by staff and the newsletter was reintroduced, receiving a new name and look in 1935 when it was published as Kodak: A Magazine for Eastman Employees. The newsletter continued under this guise until the 1940s when it was rebranded as the Kodakery.

In the United States of America, the Kodakery magazine had previously been published as a magazine for amateur photographers. This original version of the Kodakery began in 1913 and featured tips and techniques alongside advertising for Kodak products. After the 1940s when the Kodakery name began being used for the staff newsletter, Eastman Kodak began to produce Pictures and Cine-Kodak News for amateur photographers.

By the 1980s the employee-focused version of the Kodakery had changed to the Eastman News, which continued to be published until the 1990s.

Holdings

Museums Victoria holds two examples of the employee version of the Kodakery; an almost complete run of Kodak: A Magazine for Eastman Employees; and over sixty examples of the Eastman News. The collection also contains other publications produced by Eastman Kodak, including the International Kodakery.

Publication Dates

  • Kodak Park Bulletin 1898-1920
  • The Kodak Magazine 1920-1932
  • Kodak: A Magazine for Eastman Employees 1935-1940s
  • Kodakery 1940s-1980s
  • Eastman News 1980s-1990s

References:
'The Kodak Magazine', Ryerson University, at:

https://archive.org/details/kodakmagazine01eastuoft/page/2

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