About this Item
Title
- Birth of the pearl
Summary
- Two women dressed in elaborately decorated leotards and white tights stand on the edges of a stage, holding closed a dark curtain. A boy places two signs that read "Birth of the Pearl" in lyre-shaped easels on either side of the stage. The women draw the curtain, revealing a painted backdrop of the ocean and a seashore setting, upon which sits a large, closed oyster shell. The shell slowly opens to reveal a sleeping woman curled in the bottom of the shell, with long, loose, dark hair and a flesh-colored bodysuit that makes her appear nude. The model awakes and looks around her, then slowly--almost shyly--rises to her feet. She stands modestly with her hands behind her back, looking down. The two women, who have remained onstage the entire film, close the curtain on this pose.
- "In this picture there is a limited amount of action in the pose. As the curtains are drawn aside the shell appears shut. It gradually opens, disclosing the model curled up in a recumbent position. She slowly arises as is awakening, and gracefully assumes the final position of the pose"--American Mutoscope & Biograph picture catalogue.
Names
- Armitage, F. S., camera
- American Mutoscope and Biograph Company
- Paper Print Collection (Library of Congress)
Created / Published
- United States : American Mutoscope and Biograph Company, 1901, c1903.
Headings
- - Botticelli, Sandro,--1444 or 1445-1510.--Birth of Venus
- - Feminine beauty (Aesthetics)
Genre
- Peep shows (Motion pictures)
- Filmed burlesque acts
- Silent films
- Short films
- Nonfiction films
Notes
- - H27773 U.S. Copyright Office
- - Copyright: American Mutoscope & Biograph Co.; 30Jan1903; H27773.
- - Original main title lacking.
- - Camera, F.S. Armitage.
- - Duration: 0:53 at 16 fps.
- - Filmed June 14, 1901, on the rooftop of the Biograph New York City studio.
- - This film is one of a series of "Living Pictures" filmed by Biograph in an apparent attempt to recreate the burlesque stage living picture exhibitions of the mid-19th century. As with the New York City stage tableaux, the living pictures were often representations of famous paintings or statues of nudes; in this particular case, of Botticelli's "Birth of Venus."
- - Biograph production no. 1900.
- - Paper print shelf number (LC 1318) was changed when the paper prints were re-housed.
- - Additional holdings for this title may be available. Contact reference librarian.
- - Sources used: Copyright catalog, motion pictures, 1894-1912; Niver, K. Early motion pictures, p. 30; AFI catalog: film beginnings, 1893-1910; Biograph bulletins 1896-1908, p. 57; American Mutoscope & Biograph picture catalogue, Nov. 1902 [MI], p. 63; Biograph production logs, v. 1: 1899-1903; Allen, R. Horrible prettiness, p. 92-94.
- - Early motion pictures : the Paper Print Collection in the Library of Congress / by Kemp R. Niver. Library of Congress. 1985.
- - 35 mm viewing print renumbered: FEC 2525 to FYA 3799.
Medium
- viewing print 1 film reel of 1 (33 ft.) : si., b&w ; 16 mm.
- viewing print 1 film reel of 1 (53 ft.) : si., b&w ; 35 mm.
- dupe neg pic 1 film reel of 1 (33 ft.) : si., b&w ; 16 mm.
- dupe neg pic 1 film reel of 1 (53 ft.) : si., b&w ; 35 mm.
- master pos pic 1 film reel of 1 (53 ft.) : si., b&w ; 35 mm.
- paper pos 1 roll (ca. 50 ft.) : si., b&w ; 35 mm.
- paper pos (copy 2) 1 roll of 1 (ca. 50 ft.) : b&w ; 35 mm.
Call Number/Physical Location
- FLA 4332 (viewing print)
- FYA 3799 (viewing print)
- FRA 0250 (dupe neg pic)
- FPE 8537 (dupe neg pic)
- FPE 8538 (master pos pic)
- Box 0040A (paper pos)
- Box 5051B (paper pos, copy 2)
Repository
- Library of Congress Motion Picture, Broadcasting and Recorded Sound Division Washington, D.C. 20540 USA dcu
Digital Id
Library of Congress Control Number
- 96520051
Online Format
- image
- video
LCCN Permalink
Alternative link video:
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sDK14xTMa2w
Rumble: https://rumble.com/v71iexo-birth-of-the-pearl-short-1901.html
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