Roundhay Garden Scene - The First Ever Recorded Film
By Charlie Whittle, 3rd Year Classical Studies
Louis Le Prince, inventor and director of the Roundhay Garden Scene
The cinema, television, Youtube and Netflix would not exist without the invention of film. At this point in history, film is an accepted part of everyday life. However, just a century ago the concept of watching people on a screen was incomprehensible. The person we can thank for the invention of cinematography is Louis Le Prince, the inventor of the ‘16 lens camera’ and the ‘Le Prince Single-Lens Cine Camera’. The single-lens cine camera shoots film on paper-backed film strips and is currently believed to be the camera that the first ever recorded film was created on.
The Le Prince Single-Lens Cine Camera
Le Prince, born in 1841 became fascinated with the early cinematic technologies being invented. In addition, the chance to visit the studio of the inventor of photography Jaques Daguerre from a young age due to being a family friend, meant that Le Pince was surrounded by developing inventions throughout his life.
This led to the development of the ‘Le Prince Single-lens Cine Camera’ in 1886 with it being patented in the UK and the US by the end of 1888. What came from this camera was the first ever recorded film: The Roundhouse Garden Scene. This film is only 2.11 seconds long, consisting of 24 frames which records Adolphe Le Prince (Le Prince's son), Mrs. Sarah Whitley (Le Prince's mother-in-law), Joseph Whitley, and Miss Harriet Hartley walking around. This was filmed on October 14th 1888 in the Whitley household’s garden in Oakwood Grange Road, Roundhay, Leeds, Yorkshire, Great Britain. Le Prince then used this camera around Leeds to record traffic and pedestrians which was then projected in an exhibition in Leeds, making it the first display of motion-picture. Although Le Prince was able to show off his work, it was still difficult to find a reliable way to project his work, causing him to cancel a exhibition in Paris at the Exposition Universelle.
After the success of this invention and the invention of flexible celluloid sheets (a better way of projection) Le Prince's next step was to set up another public demonstration in the United States. However, before the trip, Louis Le Prince took a trip to Dijon to visit his brother. On the 16th September 1890, Le Pince took a train from Dijon-Paris, seen off by his brother; however, when the train pulled into Paris, Le Prince and his luggage were nowhere to be seen. According to both Scotland Yard and the French police force, there was no record of aggressive behaviour or violence on the train and his body and luggage were never found.
Without Le Prince’s demonstration in the United States, there was little enthusiasm for his genius, leading to the title of the inventor of cinematography being mistakenly claimed by Thomas Edison. This claim was taken to court by the American Mutoscope Company where Le Prince’s son, Aldolphe appeared as a witness. However, during this case, Aldolphe was not allowed to present his father’s cameras as evidence therefore, the court ruled in Edison’s favour. Although this ruling was later overruled, it still buried the legacy of Le Prince for years to come. Aldolphe was killed in an alleged ‘shooting accident’ in New York a few years after this court case and his body was found in the woods. Although this is unrelated to the court case, it is still an interesting addition to the story of the first recorded film.
Due to his early and mysterious death, we were never able to find out the full potential of Louis Le Prince and the Roundhay Garden Scene. Yet, this small clip that can still be watched online is the foundation for the world of cinema that we know today.
To find out more about the life of Louis Le Prince, check out this article on his life: https://www.theepochtimes.com/bright/who-really-invented-the-movies-the-mystery-of-louis-leprince-4491323