Transcriber’s Note:
The cover image was created by the transcriber and is placed in the public domain.
Motion Pictures
1894–1912
Identified from the Records of the United States Copyright Office
Table of Contents
| Page | |
|---|---|
| Motion Pictures, 1894–1912 | 1 |
| Claimant Index | 71 |
Foreword
Motion Pictures, 1894–1912, is a catalog of thosecopyrighted works identified as motion pictures byHoward Lamarr Walls which were produced duringthe pioneer period of the motion picture industry.Inasmuch as this catalog includes informationsupplied by Mr. Walls which does not appearin the records of the Copyright Office, it is not considereda part of the regular Catalog of CopyrightEntries, Cumulative Series. It supplements, however,the two volumes in the Cumulative Series,Motion Pictures, 1912–1939 and Motion Pictures,1940–1949. These three volumes, together withthe current issues of the Catalog of Copyright Entries,Third Series, Parts 12–13, Motion Picturesand Filmstrips, comprise an unbroken record of thecopyright registration of motion pictures and, also,an extensive although incomplete record of motionpicture production in the United States through theentire history of the industry.
The catalog lists 8,506 works, representing approximately6,000 titles, which were registered inthe Copyright Office as photographs and identifiedas motion pictures by Mr. Walls. In makingthis identification, the record books in the CopyrightOffice were searched for the years 1893through 1913. The first such registration foundis the Edison Kinetoscopic Record of a Sneeze,January 7, 1894, copyright date January 9, 1894,and the last is the Feast of Belshazzar, copyrightdate January 23, 1913. Twenty-four motion pictureswere registered in Class J, photographs, betweenAugust 24, 1912, the effective date of theamendment to the copyright law establishing classesfor motion pictures, and the end of the year 1913.These twenty-four motion pictures are listed in thiscatalog.
Familiarity with the individuals and organizationsconnected with the production of motion picturesduring the pioneer period was essential tothe identification as motion pictures of works registeredas photographs in the Copyright Office. Mr.Walls is uniquely fitted to make this selection. Hei