In 1888, French inventor Louis Le Prince used a single-lens camera to record the first motion pictures outside his home in Leeds. Though it lasted just two seconds, Roundhay Garden Scene was revolutionary. Le Prince prepared to exhibit his invention in New York in 1890, but before he got the chance he mysteriously disappeared from a train after visiting his brother in France.
Months later, American inventor Thomas Edison patented a camera suspiciously similar to Le Prince’s. While Edison was long rumoured to be involved in Le Prince’s disappearance, others believed Le Prince’s brother never took him to the train station. Because of his disappearance, Le Prince has been unfairly overlooked in cinema history.
The world's first film, Roundhay Garden Scene (1888).
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Collection
In ACMI's collection
On display until
16 February 2031
ACMI: Gallery 1
Credits
Collection metadata
ACMI Identifier
P180317
Curatorial section
The Story of the Moving Image → Moving Pictures → MI-04. Materiality → MI-04-C01
Measurements
210 x 148 mm
Object Types
2D Object
Exhibition Prop
Photographic print/Pictorial
Materials
Graphic