Hannibal Goodwin (1822 - 1900) invented cellulose nitrate photographic film Hannibal Williston Goodwin was born in 1822 in Tompkins County, New York. He became rector of The House of Prayer, an Episcopal Church at Newark, New Jersey in1867.. He took up photography so that he could produce his own illustrations for his talks. He experimented with cellulose nitrate as a less fragile material than glass for making lantern slides and in 1887, the year he retired from the church he had served for 20 years, Goodwin filed a patent for " a photographic pellicle and process of producing same . . . . especially in connection with roller cameras", but the patent was not granted until 13 September 1898. In the meantime, George Eastman had already started production of roll-film using his own process. In 1900, Goodwin set up the Goodwin Film & Camera Co. but before film production had started he was involved in a street accident near a construction site and died from his injuries. His patent was sold to Ansco who successfully sued Eastman Kodak for infringement of the patent and were awarded $5,000,000.