General Information

Serial #

N/A

Part Number

7

Total Parts

7

AKA

N/A

Patents

N/A

General Description

Metal shutter body

Dimensions

Note: These reflect the general size for storage and are not necessarily representative of the object's true dimensions.

Length

N/A

Width

N/A

Height

N/A

Thickness

N/A

Weight

N/A

Diameter

N/A

Volume

N/A

Lexicon

Group

Photography

Category

Cine miscellaneous

Sub-Category

N/A

Manufacturer

AKA

Unknown

Country

Unknown

State/Province

Unknown

City

Unknown

Context

Country

Canada

State/Province

Ontario

Period

Used with Motiograph projector, which was used1939-1970

Canada

Used in the Canadian pavilion at the 1939 World's Fair in New York and then moved to Rideau Hall (info. from Jim Mitchell, Ottawa, July 31, 1990). The World's fair in Paris in 1925 revolutionised the art and design world by introducing the Art Modern style, the design patent (US D111602) draws inspiration from this movement and truly represents the feel of the late 1920's and the 1930's.

Function

Used in a system to isolate the projection booth in the event of a fire.

Technical

The Enterprise Optical Company of Chicago, founded by Alvah C. Roebuck, was responsible for many motion picture projector innovations, one of which was the Motiograph projector. Enterprise Optical changed names in 1936 to Motiograph. The first projector released in 1938 was the Motiograph model K that included double bearings, a one-piece shutter that was moved between the light source and the film - allowing less heat to be transferred to the film, and a faster framing device. The purpose of the shutter was to create a better illusion of motion between the frames, improving the mechanism of the shutter reduced flickering. Because of an agreement with Electrical Research Products Inc., a Western Electric subsidiary, Motiograph was able to change the sound system in the Model K to the Mirrophonic patent held by Western Electric. The Model K was the last projector produced by Motiograph prior to WW2. The arc lamp, manufactured by the Brenkert Light production Company of Detroit, Michigan, seems to incorporate three patents issued between 1937 and 1941. These patents are for the design (US D111602), the lamp (US 2241179 - filed in 1938), and the ventilating system (US 2101668). The second patent dealt with improvements to the lamp door allowing it to open fully while using less space in the projection booth. The Third patent (the only patent actually found on the artefact) creates a better ventilation system for arc lamps while removing the ash but not extinguishing the low amperage arc. This coupled with the Motiograph's improved rear shutter allowed for increased heat dissipation and lessened the risk of warping or melting the film.

Area Notes

Unknown

Details

Markings

None apparent

Missing

Appears complete

Finish

Grey metal frame and chain.

Decoration

N/A