Tangible Media: Removable Storage of Image, Sound, Motion and Data
Tangible Media: Removable Storage of Image, Sound, Motion and Data
Tangible Media: Removable Storage of Image, Sound, Motion and Data
Frames
American Parlor Kinetoscope

Date:

c. 1900

Material:

Paper

Dimensions:

45 mm wide, 35 mm high

Company:

American Parlor Kinetoscope Co.

Location:

Washington, D.C., USA

A paper film for the Parlor Kinetoscope, which was intended mainly for use in the home. Frames measured 1¾ × 1⅜ in. (45 × 35 mm). The frames were enlarged from 35mm films to fill the full 45 mm width of the unperforated strips, which were from 15 to 60 ft. (457 to 1829 cm) long. George Eastman introduced paper film in 1888. This strip has the black background typical of films shot in Edison's studio, the Black Maria, but I haven't found any reference to it.

The viewing device uses a vibrating mirror that stablizes the images using the same principle as the mirrors in a praxinoscope. A ratchet gear behind the large wheel displaces the mirror in synchronization with the progress of the strip; the mirror follows the frame as it passes by and thus shows a steady reflection to the viewer, until the ratchet releases the mirror suddenly to start following the next frame. The film is illuminated by daylight entering the box through an opening in its side.

Very few of these devices have survived. The one with the coin slot shown in images 5–8 is even rarer. The standard version cost $12.50. The version with the coin slot was $45.50. A “picture belt” was 63 cents.

The coin slot is visible on the top of the box next to the peephole. The gears unlocked by the drop of the coin are on the left just below the slot.
Interior of Kinetoscope (reproduction strip)
A ratchet vibrates the mirror as the wheel turns.
The layout changed significantly between the patent and the actual product, but the basic principle remained the same.
US 588916