ROMANCE OF LIVING PICTURES.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXII, Issue 830, 23 April 1910, Page 4

ROMANCE OF LIVING PICTURES.

Giving pictures, so-called, play such a large part in the amusement and edification of civilised people to-day that the time is most opportune to exploit original causes. A writer in Chambers’ Journal ascribes to Mr William Friese-Greene, who was at one time one ot the most successful fashionable photographers in the West End ol London, the honour of having invented not only the system of living picture projection by means of celluloid films, but of designing the first apparatus by which such an accomplishment was made possible. Contrary to the generally accepted popular belief, neither Edison, “the wizard 01 Menlo Park,” nor the Lumiere Brothers, of Paris, originated the idea. They simply began where the ingenious young Englishman left off; but at the same time the world owes them much for the perfecting of the general principles upon which cinematography has latterly proceeded. It comes as somewhat of a surprise to learn that as far back as 1885 Mr FrieseGreene was enabled to startle members of the British Photographic Society with a demonstration of the beginnings of animated photography. He had prepared an enlarged magic lantern slide with a series ot photographs of a moving subject, and upon the slide being passed through the lantern the animation of the actual scene was faithfully reproduced. The whole thing, ot course, lasted only a lew seconds, but the germ ot the idea was there, although none of those present could have had the faintest idea what a tremendously important place the invention was destined to take in the world subsequently. Mr FrieseGreen improved upon his original apparatus, but his task was rendered extraordinarily difficult by the fact that only “wet” photographic plates were available. However, he persevered, although the appliances, at the best, were very crude and cumbrous. And then there was a difficulty in the way of securing long series of pictures, owing to the weight of the glass plates. For a considerable time Mr Friese-Greene did little but experiment, but at last he stumbled across the idea of celluloid films, and the first perfect machines for projecting pictures imposed upon this material was exhibited at the Photographic Jubilee at the Chrystal Palace in 18S9, when it created tremendous public excitement. It : s interesting to note that the celluloid films used were each as large as a playing card. But Mr Friese-Greene’s enthusiasm led him into financial straits. In the course of eight years he had expended ,£16,000 upon his invention, and finally everything he possessed was put up to auction and sold for a tithe ot its value. But others followed the trail that had been blazed by the enterprising young Englishman, and to-day the animated picture stands almost supreme in the amusement world.