21st Nov, 2023 12:00
Fine Photographica
A Jules Carpentier Cinematographe Lumiere Camera
1897-98, walnut body, serial no. 422, with original unmarked waterhouse stop lens, body, VG, mechanism working, lens, VG-E, complete with original top mounted magazine and crank handle, a plaque to front engraved 'Cinematographe, Auguste et Louis Lumiere, Brevete S.G.D.G., J. Carpenter, Ingenieur Constructeur, Paris' - 12.5cm x 19cm
Invented by Auguste & Louis Lumiere and manufactured by J. Carpenter Paris. This was the world's first commercially successful motion picture camera. The serial numbers below are linked approximately to the years the Cinématographe was produced, all rooted in the original 1895 patent until a fresh model emerged in late 1898.
No. 1-10, 1895
No. 10-250, 1896
No. 250-450, 1897-1898
In 1895, the prototype machine was crafted by the Lumière's personal mechanic. With this, they captured and showcased visuals during the early months of 1895.
The ultimate design for mass production was handed over to engineer Jules Carpentier. In November and December of 1895, he received two early models, labelled as No. 0 and No.1. By the end of December, Carpentier began assembling additional units, completing and numbering three as 2, 3, and 4. These were dispatched to the Lumière siblings on December 31st, 1895.
On January 5th, 1896, Louis Lumière conveyed to Carpentier, “There's minimal concern. Feel free to commence the production of the next two hundred we requested.”
Background:
By 1894, Louis Lumière reached the age of thirty and had just wrapped up building a factory for photographic plates. His father, renowned painter Antoine Lumière, having witnessed Thomas Edison's Kinetoscope in Paris, urged his children, Louis and Auguste, to merge animated visuals with a projector.
They scrutinized Edison’s technique which revolved around a large, immobile camera. Everything the Edison firm filmed was confined to their studio, presented directly before their camera. Additionally, the viewing devices only catered to one observer at once. The Lumière brothers envisioned a single machine performing both tasks.
Their creation was the Cinematograph, which cut down Edison's 48 frames per second to 16, resulting in lesser film usage. It was also notably portable, enabling the Lumières to capture the external environment and showcase it.
Their innovation was patented in France on February 13th, 1895. The inaugural shoot with the Cinématographe occurred in Lyon on March 19th, 1895, at the present-day Rue du Premier Film.
Initially, they shielded their breakthrough, revealing the Cinématographe solely at private viewings, which received overwhelming appreciation. The debut private screening was on March 22, 1895 at the Société d'encouragement a l'industrie Nationale in Paris.
After a series of private showcases, the first public screening occurred at the Grand Café on Boulevard des Capucines on December 28, 1895. The feedback was remarkable, and soon they were conducting twenty screenings daily due to high demand.
London saw its first demonstration on February 20, 1896, presented by Mr. Trewey at the Regent Polytechnic.
Throughout their short-lived careers, the Lumières introduced filmmaking across five continents, elevating it to a 20th-century art form.
While pinpointing the exact founder of cinema is contentious, as no single individual can claim the title, Louis and Auguste Lumière present the most compelling case. They devised an apparatus fusing the roles of a camera and a projector, enabling film projection to a wider audience. A nod to their genius, the term "cinema" is inspired by their invention's name.
1897-98, walnut body, serial no. 422, with original unmarked waterhouse stop lens, body, VG, mechanism working, lens, VG-E, complete with original top mounted magazine and crank handle, a plaque to front engraved 'Cinematographe, Auguste et Louis Lumiere, Brevete S.G.D.G., J. Carpenter, Ingenieur Constructeur, Paris' - 12.5cm x 19cm
Invented by Auguste & Louis Lumiere and manufactured by J. Carpenter Paris. This was the world's first commercially successful motion picture camera. The serial numbers below are linked approximately to the years the Cinématographe was produced, all rooted in the original 1895 patent until a fresh model emerged in late 1898.
No. 1-10, 1895
No. 10-250, 1896
No. 250-450, 1897-1898
In 1895, the prototype machine was crafted by the Lumière's personal mechanic. With this, they captured and showcased visuals during the early months of 1895.
The ultimate design for mass production was handed over to engineer Jules Carpentier. In November and December of 1895, he received two early models, labelled as No. 0 and No.1. By the end of December, Carpentier began assembling additional units, completing and numbering three as 2, 3, and 4. These were dispatched to the Lumière siblings on December 31st, 1895.
On January 5th, 1896, Louis Lumière conveyed to Carpentier, “There's minimal concern. Feel free to commence the production of the next two hundred we requested.”
Background:
By 1894, Louis Lumière reached the age of thirty and had just wrapped up building a factory for photographic plates. His father, renowned painter Antoine Lumière, having witnessed Thomas Edison's Kinetoscope in Paris, urged his children, Louis and Auguste, to merge animated visuals with a projector.
They scrutinized Edison’s technique which revolved around a large, immobile camera. Everything the Edison firm filmed was confined to their studio, presented directly before their camera. Additionally, the viewing devices only catered to one observer at once. The Lumière brothers envisioned a single machine performing both tasks.
Their creation was the Cinematograph, which cut down Edison's 48 frames per second to 16, resulting in lesser film usage. It was also notably portable, enabling the Lumières to capture the external environment and showcase it.
Their innovation was patented in France on February 13th, 1895. The inaugural shoot with the Cinématographe occurred in Lyon on March 19th, 1895, at the present-day Rue du Premier Film.
Initially, they shielded their breakthrough, revealing the Cinématographe solely at private viewings, which received overwhelming appreciation. The debut private screening was on March 22, 1895 at the Société d'encouragement a l'industrie Nationale in Paris.
After a series of private showcases, the first public screening occurred at the Grand Café on Boulevard des Capucines on December 28, 1895. The feedback was remarkable, and soon they were conducting twenty screenings daily due to high demand.
London saw its first demonstration on February 20, 1896, presented by Mr. Trewey at the Regent Polytechnic.
Throughout their short-lived careers, the Lumières introduced filmmaking across five continents, elevating it to a 20th-century art form.
While pinpointing the exact founder of cinema is contentious, as no single individual can claim the title, Louis and Auguste Lumière present the most compelling case. They devised an apparatus fusing the roles of a camera and a projector, enabling film projection to a wider audience. A nod to their genius, the term "cinema" is inspired by their invention's name.
Auction: Fine Photographica, 21st Nov, 2023
