Thomas Edison with Projecting Kinetoscope, 1905

01

Artifact Overview

The kinetoscope was originally a solitary experience. Visitors to "peepshow parlors" paid a nickel to peer into a wooden cabinet through an eyepiece to see a short film loop. But Edison and his competitors wanted to project films on screens for large audiences. The Vitascope, Projecting Kinetoscope, and Kinetophone are examples of Edison's experiments to turn film into a communal experience.

Artifact Details

Artifact

Photographic print

Subject Date

1905

Creator Notes

Original photography by Irving Underhill, New York, New York.

Location

By Request in the Benson Ford Research Center

Object ID

P.188.1347

Credit

From the Collections of The Henry Ford. Gift of Ford Motor Company.

Material

Paper (Fiber product)
Linen (Material)

Technique

Gelatin silver process

Color

Black-and-white (Colors)

Dimensions

Height: 7.5 in
Width: 11 in

Inscriptions

Handwritten in image, front right center: THOMAS A. EDISON / Copyright BY IRVING UNDERHILL / NEW YORK / B7063