Thoughts about early cinema

Author: mgrottendieck

  • Modes of transportation

    The above image shows a film can that was produced for the Paris based branch of the Vitagraph Company. It was used as packaging for The Poor Musician, a dramatic film that was scheduled for release in the USA on February 23, 1909.1 The subsequent release of the film in France was roughly three months…

  • Letters to V. Avril

    With the post Briefkasten. Kino. we got an overview of available trade journals for the German-Speaking audience in 1910. One of the listed journals is Internationale Film- und Kinematographen-Industrie. Illustrierte Fachzeitschrift für alle Gebiete der Projektionskunst und deren Schaustellungen. Since information regarding this trade journal is scarce I‘d like to use this post to showcase…

  • Briefkasten. Kino.

  • Lux and their German representative Gertrud Grünspan

    Société Anonyme des Phonographers et Cinématographes Lux (in this article abbreviated as Lux) was founded in November 14, 1906, by Henri Joly. Until their demise in December 1913 the company produced more than 850 films and established itself as a major French producer behind Pathé Frères, Gaumont, Éclair and Éclipse.1

  • „Quovadis“ in Gefahr.

    Ad for Quo Vadis? in Bad Oeynhausener Anzeiger und Tageblatt.1 On May 29, 1913, the Bad Oeynhausener Anzeiger und Tageblatt reported the following incident, that happened the day before.

  • Tillykke med fødselsdagen

    With the first issue of May 1913 the Erste Internationale Film Zeitung1 published a tribute to Ole Olsen who would turn 50 years old on May 5, 1913. It was mend to celebrate a well known and successful businessman who contributed his fair share to the success of the film industry in general and in…

  • Telephongespräch Montag morgen 9 Uhr! Drring…

    Anonymous ad in Herforder Kreisblatt, published on May 26, 1913.1

  • Enforcing the monopoly

    Ad by Martin Dentler.1

  • A stereoscopic impression

    The above image is a combination of a stereoscopic image that was published in the trade journal Phonographische Zeitschrift on September 26, 1907. The image was made by the editorial staff of the journal on occasion of a visit to the production of a sound image for Alfred Duskes by the director Gustav Schönwald.1

  • With greetings from Tante Fritze and Onkel Ernst Günther

    Tante Fritze Onkel Ernst, Günther Thanks to family Günther (written on the back of the postcard and marked with a small cross on the front; they are situated on the last window to the right in the middle of the photo) we can glimpse into the everyday life of Berlin after the turn of the…