Slide films were the first form of full-color photography.
Slide film has played an important role in photography since its inception in the early 1900s. Many photographers across the world relied on the crisp, bright and clear pictures even the earliest slide films were capable of producing. Slide film offers a rich history of producing timeless photographs and motion-picture films.
History
Making its debut into the world of film in 1935, Kodachrome, produced by Eastman Kodak, went down in history as the first color slide film on the market. Though originally marketed as a 16-mm movie film, the film would become available, a year later, in 35-mm still format. Kodachrome became a staple among amateurs and professionals alike, as the striking saturated colors of the film quickly led to its widespread use in photography. Dan Bayer, founder of "The Kodachrome Project," calls the film,"the single most influential color film of all time."
The Zapruder Film
Arguably, the most historically symbolic use of a slide film came on Nov. 22, 1963, when the assassination of President John F. Kennedy was inadvertently captured on an 8-mm movie reel of Kodachrome by amateur filmmaker Abraham Zapruder. Though the footage is shrouded by conspiracy theories, the footage has become a staple to most investigations surrounding the assassination and is commonly referred to as the most-watched amateur footage to this day, as of June 2011. The Zapruder family has donated a copy of the film to The Sixth Floor Museum in Dallas, Texas, the city in which the assassination took place.
Kodachrome
Kodachrome was discontinued in 2009.
By the 1970s, the use of slide film became so standard that celebrated musician Paul Simon of Simon & Garfunkel crooned, "Mama, don't take my Kodachrome away," in his 1973 single "Kodachrome." Further helping the slide film's already growing popularity and helping become a household name, the song quickly worked its way to the No. 2 spot on the Billboard charts.
Afghan Girl
Photographer Steve McCurry used a slide film in his world-famous photograph titled "Afghan Girl." The portrait was used on the June 1985 cover of National Geographic, the magazine that credits itself as pioneering the use of slide film. The power behind the crystal-clear, yet colorful eyes of the young woman in the photograph would make Afghan Girl the magazine's most-recognized photograph.
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