Inventor Name
Theisen, Earl
Repository
Academy of Motion Picture
Arts and Sciences
Academy Foundation
8949 Wilshire Boulevard
Beverly Hills, California 90211
310-247-3000
http://www.oscars.org/mhl/sc/index.html
Physical Description
1 linear ft.
Summary
The Earl Theisen Collection spans the years 1773-1935 (bulk 1895-1934) and encompasses 1.0 linear foot. The collection consists primarily of correspondence and general files relating to the early history of the cinema. The correspondence files contain letters from such early pioneers as inventor W. K. L. Dickson, inventor Thomas Armat, cinematographer G. W. Bitzer, inventor and film executive Leon Gaumont, inventor C. Francis Jenkins, and inventor and director-producer Louis Lumière. Of special interest is a letter from Dickson with his original drawing of the Black Maria, the first film studio. The general files contain material relating to the early silent period, including a great amount of U.S., French, British, and German patent information. Among this material is a celluloid record for a 1912 talking picture of Edward H. Amet, a program for The Clansman (later The Birth of a Nation), animation cels by animator and producer Walter Lantz, and extensive patent information for Jean Le Roy. There is also a small number of books, magazines, and pamphlets. There is no information about Theisen's life and career. Gift of Earl Theisen, June 15, 1949.
