The History of 35mm Slides

Origins of 35mm Film

The 35mm film format was first introduced in the late 19th century by Thomas Edison and William Kennedy Laurie Dickson as a standard for motion pictures. Its compact size and consistent frame dimensions soon made it the industry norm for cinema, laying the foundation for future still photography and projection formats.

Rise of the 35mm Slide

By the 1930s, photography companies such as Kodak began promoting 35mm film for amateur photographers. In 1935, Kodak introduced Kodachrome, one of the earliest commercially successful color reversal films. This innovation allowed photographers to create positive transparencies—what we know today as “slides”—instead of negatives.

The Golden Era of Slide Projection

During the 1950s–1970s, 35mm slides became the standard medium for sharing photographs at home, in classrooms, and in professional settings. Families gathered around slide projectors to relive vacations, while educators and businesses used them for lectures and presentations. Carousel slide projectors, popularized by Kodak in 1961, simplified the process of organizing and showing large slide collections.

35mm Slides in Art and Culture

Beyond family photo nights, 35mm slides were central to art history, museum documentation, and scientific research. Artists and educators relied on slide libraries to compare works of art, teach courses, and archive important discoveries. The vivid colors and high resolution of slides made them a preferred choice for serious documentation.

Decline in the Digital Age

With the rise of digital photography in the 1990s and 2000s, the use of 35mm slides declined rapidly. Projectors gave way to digital displays, and film processing labs began closing. By 2012, Kodak—once synonymous with slides—discontinued production of slide projectors and many types of slide film.

Legacy and Collecting

Today, 35mm slides remain cherished artifacts of photographic history. Enthusiasts collect and digitize slides to preserve memories, while artists repurpose them in creative projects. The unique look of film transparencies continues to inspire photographers, reminding us of an era when photography was as much about the ritual of sharing as it was about capturing an image.

What will you do with yours?