Animated Photography
Cinematographic Cameras and Projectors
Animated Photography

Details
Animated Photography
Three 35mm. film strips, each showing fifteen frames, contact printed on to photographic paper and mounted on to board with printed caption PAUL'S SYSTEM OF ANIMATED PHOTOGRAPHY. SUCCESSIVE PHOTOGRAPHS OF MOVING OBJECTS TAKEN AT THE RATE OF 20 PER SECOND. EXHIBITED BY THE ANIMATOGRAPHE AND THEATROGRAPH. INVENTED AND CONSTRUCTED BY ROBT. W. PAUL, MIEE, framed and glazed, the back with paper label The first movie film ever 'shot' in England...
Literature
Herbert & McKernan (1996), Who's Who of Victorian Cinema, pp. 107-108.John Barnes (1976), The Beginnings of Cinema in England, pp. 105, 107-110.

Lot Essay

Robert W. Paul (1869-1945) was a pioneer of the British film industry and in the words of Herbert and McKernan: 'Paul holds a unique position in the history of early cinema. His talents were such that he combined not only the roles of inventor and manufacturer but also those of producer, exhibitor and cinematographer.'

The Soldier's Courtship from which these prints are taken was staged on the roof of the Alhambra in April 1896. The 80-foot film was the first comic picture-play produced in England and no complete copy is known to exist. The film featured Fred Storey as the soldier, Julie Seal as the lover and Ellen (Nellie) Paul, as the elderly lady. The film was also used in one of Henry Short's Filoscope devices.

The plot of the film was simple and described by Paul's catalogue as 'A very comic scene, meeting of soldier and sweetheart, arrival of third party who attempts to crowd them, but is thrown off seat by the soldier'. It was shown from May 1896 to great acclaim. A second version called Tommy Atkins in the Park was made in 1898.

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