American Memory Collection Animations and Motion Pictures

April 26, 2003 3:20 AM

Krazy Kat and Ignatz Mouse at the circus, Love and war, Foxy Grandpa and Polly in a little hilarity, Roosevelt, Friend of the Birds, Refrigerator-Man, Mabel and Fatty viewing the World's Fair at San Francisco, Visitin' 'round at Coolidge Corners, Ranch Rodeo and Barbecue (1951), Panorama of Eiffel Tower , Colored troops disembarking, The mob outside the Temple of Music at the Pan-American Exposition, Theodore Roosevelt's arrival in Africa, Trapeze Disrobing Act, Tourists going round Yellowstone Park, Skyscrapers of New York City, from the North River, Girls winding armatures, Bird's-eye view of San Francisco, from a balloon , Walking hot dog, hamburgers, and disappearing Coca-Cola, um, and The phable of the phat woman.

Selections from American Memory Online Films (More Inside)
posted by y2karl (13 comments total)

Origins of American Animation The development of early American animation is represented by this collection of 21 animated films and 2 fragments, which spans the years 1900 to 1921. The films include clay, puppet, and cut-out animation, as well as pen drawings. They point to a connection between newspaper comic strips and early animated films, as represented by Keeping Up With the Joneses, Krazy Kat, and The Katzenjammer Kids. As well as showing the development of animation, these films also reveal the social attitudes of early twentieth-century America. Chronological Title List
The Last Days of a President: Films of McKinley and the Pan-American Exposition, 1901 The twenty-eight films of this collection are actuality motion pictures from the Paper Print Collection of the Library of Congress. They include footage of President William McKinley at his second inauguration; of the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, New York; of President McKinley at the Pan-American Exposition; and of President McKinley's funeral. The films were produced by the Edison Manufacturing Company from March to November 1901. The company, founded by inventor Thomas Alva Edison, operated from 1893 to 1917. Film Titles, Movies 1 through 20 of 28
Theodore Roosevelt: His Life and Times on Film
Theodore Roosevelt was the first U.S. president to have his career and life chronicled on a large scale by motion picture companies (even though his predecessors, Grover Cleveland and William McKinley, were the first to be filmed). This presentation features 104 films which record events in Roosevelt's life from the Spanish-American War in 1898 to his death in 1919; 8 of these films have previously appeared in other American Memory presentations. The majority of films (87) are from the Theodore Roosevelt Association Collection, while the remainder are from the Paper Print Collection. Besides containing scenes of Roosevelt, these films include views of world figures, politicians, monarchs, and friends and family members of Roosevelt who influenced his life and the era in which he lived. Commemorative events up to 1921 are also included as well as silent documentaries compiled from earlier footage by the Theodore Roosevelt Association between 1919 and 1928. Four sound recordings made by Roosevelt for the Edison Company in 1912 in which he states his progressive political views are also included. Alphabetical Title List
Before and After the Great Earthquake and Fire: Early Films of San Francisco, 1897-1916 This collection consists of twenty-six films of San Francisco from before and after the Great Earthquake and Fire, 1897-1916. Seventeen of the films depict San Francisco and its environs before the 1906 disaster. Seven films describe the great earthquake and fire. The two later films include a 1915 travelogue that shows scenes of the rebuilt city and a tour of the Panama Pacific Exposition and a 1916 propaganda film. Movies 1 through 20 of 26 --Oh, I can't go on any longer! But Variety Stage Motion Pictures from The American Variety Stage: Vaudeville and Popular Entertainment, 1870-1920 and Edison Motion Pictures from Inventing Entertainment: the Early Motion Pictures and Sound Recordings of the Edison Companies must be mentioned, and there's More! More! More! on the Collection list page or the American Memory Collection page.

Dig in. Enjoy. Get phat.

Caveat: The Library of Congress presents these documents as part of the record of the past. These primary historical documents reflect the attitudes, perspectives, and beliefs of different times. The Library of Congress does not endorse the views expressed in these collections, which may contain materials offensive to some readers--most particularly the animations.
posted by y2karl at 3:22 AM on April 26, 2003

Man a lot of great stuff in here. Thank you y2karl for discovering this gem and putting a lot of effort in your post.

the early american animation is such a treat and i love how you can d/l them in mpeg form so you can make a vcd or a dvd to watch these on your dvd player.

kinda sad that more stuff is not in the public domain instead of some greedy companys vault.
posted by Dreamghost at 4:11 AM on April 26, 2003

Quite possibly the most work ever put into a post?

Historical footage, historical post, I guess it makes sense . . .

thanks y2k
posted by jeremias at 4:19 AM on April 26, 2003

some greedy companys vault.

If it were your company would you just give your products away? Come on.

Good resource with more links than should be legal.
posted by hama7 at 5:09 AM on April 26, 2003

If it were your company would you just give your products away? Come on.

After 60 years should I still be milking every last dime off A song or movie?

Do you really belive that a company should have a copyright on something for 120 years? Come on.
posted by Dreamghost at 6:01 AM on April 26, 2003

So, um, am I the only one for whom the Coca-Cola ones are firing blanks? I guess I was too ambitious to try every link ahead of time.
Oh, well...
posted by y2karl at 6:15 AM on April 26, 2003

y2karl :- I think the Coca Cola links might just be having a bad day rather than be down for good. :)
posted by plep at 6:51 AM on April 26, 2003

What an excellent post... for memepool.
posted by thirteen at 10:10 AM on April 26, 2003

Cheers, y2karl. The front page of the collection for the Spanish-American war notes that this was the first time movies were used to report a war - recording both real events such as parades, and also 'reconstructing' battle scenes. It's an interesting parallel with the public's fascination with new media (embedded journos and satellite phones) in Gulf War 2.
posted by carter at 10:34 AM on April 26, 2003

Gee, thanks y2Karl - perfect fare to keep me occupied on a rainy day!
posted by madamjujujive at 11:07 AM on April 26, 2003

Some I liked:

Dark-complexioned people dressed as Eskimos run up and down alongside the pool, and a dog pulls a sled.

Women of the ghetto bathing.

The roller skate craze.

This is great.
posted by _sirmissalot_ at 5:22 PM on April 26, 2003

Great post - thanks
posted by brettski at 1:24 AM on April 28, 2003

Well, I said I would mention I found out night before last that snarkout mentioned the first link in a previous post. So I am.
posted by y2karl at 6:40 AM on April 29, 2003