Thomas Edison with Projecting Kinetoscope, 1905
Add to SetSummary
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.
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
Photographic print
Subject Date
1905
Creators
Place of Creation
United States, New York, New York
Creator Notes
Original photography by Irving Underhill, New York, New York.
Collection Title
On Exhibit
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
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