LOUIS AIME AUGUSTIN LE PRINCE (1841 - 1890)
A Frenchman working primarily in Leeds England, who earlier had emigrated to the U.S., Le Prince patents in the U.S., a camera and projector described as having sixteen lenses (however the application describes "one or more lenses"). So close to being the first to project moving pictures publicly, he also applied for international patents in Belgium, Italy, Austria, Hungary, France, and in England, which he would never live to see granted. In fact, the British patent described among other things; flexible film, (positive and negative) and intermittent movement in the shutter. His apparatus was capable of showing animated pictures, which he had already presented in the Whitley factory in Leeds (see below). An interesting twist happens in the story of this man Le Prince. He disappeared without a trace on September 16, 1890 while on a train from Dijon to Paris. He was never found even though three detectives from three countries investigated the disappearance. Not only was his body never seen again, nor were his many papers he carried, as well as his luggage.
An excellent read on this mystery would be The Missing Reel, by Christopher Rawlence, (Atheneum Publishers, New York 1990). Le Prince was enroute to patent his device in London and then go to New York for a public demonstration. After his disappearance, the Le Prince family led by his wife and son went to court against Edison in what became known as Equity 6928. The famous Patent Wars ensued and by 1908 Thomas Edison will be named sole inventor of motion pictures, in the U.S, at least. However, in 1902, two years after Le Prince’s son Adolphe had testified in the suit, he was found shot dead on Fire Island, New York. Le Prince’s apparatus was eventually built by Herman Casler and was used in taking pictures. A photograph of a drowning victim who resembled Le Prince was found in Paris police archives in 2003. The picture was from an investigation undertaken in 1890.
Earliest Extant Film: Roundhay Garden Scene of 14 October, 1888 From Louis Aime Augustin Le Prince
No other strip of film has ever been produced which pre-dates this one. It is known as the Roundhay Garden Scene (right). Le Prince photographed this sequence (2-3 weeks prior to Leeds) in the garden of the Whitley home, (home of his father-in-law) Roundhay, Leeds. This 'film' was never shown by Le Prince and exists today only as a result of photographic copies of the original paper frames (made by the NMPFT in 1930), and reconstructed animations.
Le Prince's original pictures where photographed using his 16-lens camera (the LPCC 16-lens camera) and used Eastman Kodak film-paper. They were shot at sixteen frames per second. Unlike Leeds, Roundhay had 'actors' namely; Adolphe Le Prince (Louis' son), Sarah Whitley (Louis' mother-in-law), Joseph Whitley (factory owner where Le Prince worked) and Harriet Hartley. The entire episode shows everyone walking around in a circle.
Interestingly, Le Prince never really gave his cameras and projectors a name as did other inventors. They were simply known as the single-lens or the 16-lens, or by the patent number. He did however within his patents, title his cameras as "receivers" and his projector as a "deliverer".
Second Earliest Film: Leeds Bridge Traffic Scene of October 1888 From Louis A. A. Le Prince
Le Prince used non-perforated sensitized Kodak roll-paper film for these frames which remain twenty in all. These frames show daily traffic crossing the River Aire in Leeds England and were photographed in October 1888 by Le Prince. According to Michael Harvey of the National Museum of Photography, Film and Television in London, "These only exist today as photographic copies, made in the 1930s, of parts of the paper film strips".
Although never shown publicly, or announced to the world, Le Prince did present his cinematography of the "Leeds Bridge Traffic" (also known as 'Traffic Crossing Leeds Bridge') in the Whitley factory two years before Donisthorpe and seven years before the Lumiere's cafe presentation.
Earliest Extant Film: Roundhay Garden Scene of 14 October, 1888 From Louis Aime Augustin Le PrinceNo other strip of film has ever been produced which pre-dates this one. It is known as the Roundhay Garden Scene (right). Le Prince photographed this sequence (2-3 weeks prior to Leeds) in the garden of the Whitley home, (home of his father-in-law) Roundhay, Leeds. This 'film' was never shown by Le Prince and exists today only as a result of photographic copies of the original paper frames (made by the NMPFT in 1930), and reconstructed animations.
Le Prince's original pictures where photographed using his 16-lens camera (the LPCC 16-lens camera) and used Eastman Kodak film-paper. They were shot at sixteen frames per second. Unlike Leeds, Roundhay had 'actors' namely; Adolphe Le Prince (Louis' son), Sarah Whitley (Louis' mother-in-law), Joseph Whitley (factory owner where Le Prince worked) and Harriet Hartley. The entire episode shows everyone walking around in a circle.
Interestingly, Le Prince never really gave his cameras and projectors a name as did other inventors. They were simply known as the single-lens or the 16-lens, or by the patent number. He did however within his patents, title his cameras as "receivers" and his projector as a "deliverer".
Second Earliest Film: Leeds Bridge Traffic Scene of October 1888 From Louis A. A. Le PrinceLe Prince used non-perforated sensitized Kodak roll-paper film for these frames which remain twenty in all. These frames show daily traffic crossing the River Aire in Leeds England and were photographed in October 1888 by Le Prince. According to Michael Harvey of the National Museum of Photography, Film and Television in London, "These only exist today as photographic copies, made in the 1930s, of parts of the paper film strips".
Although never shown publicly, or announced to the world, Le Prince did present his cinematography of the "Leeds Bridge Traffic" (also known as 'Traffic Crossing Leeds Bridge') in the Whitley factory two years before Donisthorpe and seven years before the Lumiere's cafe presentation.
As the Roundhay Garden Scene frames have been re-constructed into an almost-real experience, so has the Leeds Bridge Traffic. The twenty remaining frames (above) have been created into a two-second looped animation showing how it may have looked at that time. These pictures were taken shortly after the pictures in the Whitley garden were filmed.
Influenced By Other Pioneers
The Le Prince family knew Louis Daguerre and considered him a friend. Daguerre had offered Louis some of his photographic know-how in 1875. Louis Le Prince as well had seen much of the work done by Eadweard Muybridge for Stanford. Le Prince wanted to involve himself in the possibility of creating motion using photographs.
By early 1888 Le Prince invited carpenter Frederic Mason to make camera bodies, and James Longley to make the working parts. By that summer Le Prince had designed and constructed two single-lens cameras, one photographing at the speed of 12 frames per second and the other at twenty fps. He takes pictures in the family garden and at the bridge.
Influenced By Other Pioneers
The Le Prince family knew Louis Daguerre and considered him a friend. Daguerre had offered Louis some of his photographic know-how in 1875. Louis Le Prince as well had seen much of the work done by Eadweard Muybridge for Stanford. Le Prince wanted to involve himself in the possibility of creating motion using photographs.
By early 1888 Le Prince invited carpenter Frederic Mason to make camera bodies, and James Longley to make the working parts. By that summer Le Prince had designed and constructed two single-lens cameras, one photographing at the speed of 12 frames per second and the other at twenty fps. He takes pictures in the family garden and at the bridge.
