Artist: Poyej
Medium: Schematic drawing
Year: Mid 1890's
Give a brief description of the movement, photographer, or term you researched. How are they significant to the history of photography?
The Kinetoscope is an early motion picture exhibition device. First described in conceptual terms by U.S. inventor Thomas Edison in 1888, it was largely developed by his employee William Kennedy Laurie Dickson between 1889 and 1892. On May 20, 1891, the first public demonstration of a prototype Kinetoscope was given. A little movie, approximately three seconds long, now referred to as Dickson Greeting, saw a man who bowed and smiled and waved its hands and took off its hat with the most perfect naturalness and grace. The man was Dickson. On April 14, 1894, a public Kinetoscope parlor was opened in New York City, the first commercial motion picture house. The venue had ten machines, set up in parallel rows of five, each showing a different movie. For 25 cents a viewer could see all the films in either row, half a dollar gave access to the entire bill.
Write a short personal reaction to the movement, photographer or term you researched. What is interesting or not interesting about the work.
Though the kinetoscope was very important to the development of moving pictures, the most interesting thing to me was the positioning and claims of different groups of inventors to fight for patent rights and to be first to show the device. Also, it was interesting to note that almost immediately after it debuted as a moving picture device, a San Francisco exhibitor was arrested for a Kinetoscope operation "alleged to be indecent."
Name: Joe Ulwelling
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