Debrie Motion Picture Camera, circa 1920

01

Artifact Overview

This motion picture camera was used at Thomas Edison's West Orange laboratories. Edison's 1888 patent for a device that could do "for the eye what the phonograph does for the ear" produced intense technological experimentation--and the development of the American film industry. Over two short decades, recording and projection technologies standardized, and sophisticated audiences began to demand quality productions.

Artifact Details

Artifact

Motion-picture camera

Date Made

circa 1920

Place of Creation

Location

Not on exhibit to the public.

Object ID

99.0.103.12

Credit

From the Collections of The Henry Ford.

Material

Brass (Alloy)
Canvas
Leather
Oilcloth
Textile
Wood (Plant Material)

Color

Black (Color)
Brown

Dimensions

Height: 11.5 in (Height of Carrying Case)
Width: 5.25 in (With shaft)
Length: 10.625 in (With lens)
Height: 9.25 in
Width: 8 in (Width of Carrying Case)
Length: 14 in (Length of Carrying Case)

Inscriptions

Lens: Voigtlander & Sohn, Braunschweig No. 86900 Hellar 51mm, 1:45 D.R.P. 124934 Snaps on leather case: Patent Applied For Sept. '96 Side Viewer/Lens: Pat. June 7. 98 "AD" (A D monogram stamped on various internal components and film magazines)
Debrie Motion Picture Camera, circa 1920