Thomas Edison's Black Maria Movie Studio, West Orange, New Jersey, circa 1894

01

Artifact Overview

Thomas Edison constructed the world's first film production studio behind his West Orange, New Jersey, laboratory in 1893. The Black Maria -- a slang term for the prisoner transport vans the building resembled -- was covered with tar paper, had a removable roof, and rotated on a track to capture sunlight. Here, lab assistants filmed short movies for Edison's Kinetoscope motion picture viewer.

Artifact Details

Artifact

Photographic print

Subject Date

circa 1894

Location

By Request in the Benson Ford Research Center

Object ID

84.1.1630.P.188.5616

Credit

From the Collections of The Henry Ford.

Material

Paper (Fiber product)
Linen (Material)

Technique

Gelatin silver process

Color

Black-and-white (Colors)

Dimensions

Height: 7.5 in
Width: 11 in

Thomas Edison's Black Maria Movie Studio, West Orange, New Jersey, circa 1894