Item #27240 Boats in front of Machinery Hall at the 1897 Stockholm Exhibition [ descriptive title by seller ]. Auguste Lumiere, Louis Lumiere, Alexandre Promio.
Boats in front of Machinery Hall at the 1897 Stockholm Exhibition [ descriptive title by seller ]
Boats in front of Machinery Hall at the 1897 Stockholm Exhibition [ descriptive title by seller ]
Boats in front of Machinery Hall at the 1897 Stockholm Exhibition [ descriptive title by seller ]

Boats in front of Machinery Hall at the 1897 Stockholm Exhibition [ descriptive title by seller ]

[ no place ]: [ no publisher ] c1897. 9 1/4 x 7 inches. Photograph. Contained in larger old manila envelope marked "Lumiere" and "Bateaux". The silver print is glossy, and has in pencil on the rear the marks "542" and "32" Very Good. [27240]


The research site catalogue-lumiere is a scholarly site which includes Lumiere films and known stills from those films. There we found a film series titled Vue N° 542 with very similar subject matter, the same building and boats titled "Arrivée à l’exposition en bateau" [Arrival at the boat exhibition]. It is subtitled "Panorama d’un débarcadère et de bateaux amarrés." or "Panorama of a pier and boats moored." The film operator is identified as Alexandre Promio who did a series of at least five films between [May 15, 1897] - June 21, 1897 entitled "Stockholm Exhibition". Given the match of the pencil markings ("542") in rear and on the envelope ("Bateau") we are pretty confident that this still is from that film.

Jean Alexandre Louis Promio is identified as an operator of views Lumière (cinematographist), born July 9, 1868 in Lyon and died December 24, 1926 in Asnieres-sur-Seine. He has the most films to his credit in the Lumiere database.

Provenance: We acquired this image at Skinner Auction Sale 2283. Skinner determined from the consignor that the Lumiere material in that sale came from a Will Day Historical Cinema Collection auction "in the 1930s". Further research revealed that The Will Day Historical Collection of Cinematograph & Moving Picture Equipment was offered for sale by Tender in 1930 by Messrs. Harris & Gillow, but was apparently unsold, and did not include this specific still image. William Day was a prolific collector, and may have had another tender in 1895 which was acquired by a French institution, but we have not been able to track down the specifics. As with all collections of this size, it is not uncommon to find items sold piecemeal before, during and after consideration as the collector upgrades their holdings.

Regardless of it's source, original Lumiere material is scarce in the marketplace, and desirable to anyone interested in the history of Cinema. We are pleased to be able to offer it at this time.

ITEM SOLD

Create a want for this item, and we will notify you via e-mail if another copy becomes available.