The Black Maria
The Black Maria Thomas Edison's interest in motion pictures began with an idea "for an instrument that does for the Eye what the phonograph does for the Ear, which is the recording and reproduction of things in motion," first expressed in an October 1888 patent application. By 1893 Edison's experimenters had designed a camera for taking moving pictures (the kinetograph) and a device to exhibit them. (the kinetoscope). The technical requirements of filming at the rate of 46 frames per second (to reduce flicker) required ample natural light. Because the existing 1889 photographic building provided insufficient light, William Dickson designed a revolving photographic building in the fall of 1892. Completed in February 1893, the building included features that allowed maximum exposure to sunlight, including a pivot that revolved it around a wooden track and a roof that could be raised and lowered to expose the scenes filmed inside. The staff nicknamed the studio the "Black Maria" because it resembled 19th century prison transport vehicles. An array of vaudeville performers flocked to the Black Maria to showcase their talents in front of the camera. These included well- known acts such as Eugene Sandow, the strongman, who posed and flexed his muscles, Annabelle Whitford performing her Butterfly and Serpentine Dance, and Spanish dancer Carmencita. The interior of the Black Maria also saw filming of acts from Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show, including sharpshooter Annie Oakley, and Native American dancers. By the late 1890s the Black Maria fell into disuse as the Edison Manufacturing Co. shifted film production to other locations. The original Black Maria, located near the present-day water tower, was dismantled in 1903. This replica, commissioned by the Thomas Alva Edison Foundation and dedicated on September 22, 1954, commemorates Edison's contributions to the motion picture industry. W.K.L. Dickson William K.L Dickson, Edison's principal experimenter on the motion picture project, was instrumental to the technical development of the kinetograph and kinetoscope. He also played a key role in the production of experimental and commercial films in the Black Maria. Among other accomplishments, he was the first director to appear in his own film, as an anonymous performer in "Horse Shoeing" William Heise William Heise was Dickson assistant from 1891 to 1895 Helse worked with Dickson on the design of the kinetoscope and operated the kinetograph for many of the films produced in the Black Maria. He also directed "The Kiss" (1896) Together, Dickson and Heise produced between 200 and 300 films in the Black Maria. Submitted by @lampbane