George Eastman loved orchestral organ music and used it often for entertainment with others. In 1905 he hired the Aeolian Organ Company out of NYC to install what was named the “South Organ”. Then in 1918 he added what we now call the “North Organ” chamber. Throughout the 26 years George Eastman lived in the house the organ continued to expand – adding additional pipes and chambers and eventually creating what was likely the first “in stereo” experience in a private residence.

Several years later, after the house was established as a museum, there was an unfortunate fire that destroyed many of the organ pipes. Since the fire, there had been little interest in restoring the missing organ chamber. That all changed last year when a gentlemen in California (after many conversations) graciously donated his Aeolian 1345 organ to George Eastman House. The donor even covered the cost to ship the instrument across the country and cover final restoration costs (est. six figure donation).

This particular pipe organ is extremely similar to the original. When the project is complete, approximately 2,329 pipes (that’s right, 2,329) will have been installed. Visitors will again be able to hear what George Eastman heard many years ago- an organ that plays like an entire orchestra.

We’re documenting the project and will continue to add to this album throughout. Take a look at some of the large metal and wooden pipes delivered last week. These will continue to be installed over the next few weeks – then the testing and tuning will begin.

Gertrude Käsebier (American, 1852-1934) , Dancing School, ca. 1905, gum bichromate print, gifts of Hermime Turner

Gertrude Käsebier was born in 1852 in Des Moines, Iowa, daughter of John and Muncy Stanton. When she was still very young, Käsebier moved to Colorado where her father eventually became owner of a gold mine in Leadville. The trip across the plains by covered wagon and the frontier life near Indians sparked the imagination and adventuresome personality of Käsebier…[MORE]

The Philadelphia Photographic Exchange Club 19th century canal excursion, lantern slide from the Scully & Osterman archives

In a few weeks, George Eastman House Process Historian, Mark Osterman and team will lead a photography workshop unlike any other; a tintype excursion along the historic Erie Canal.

For three days we will float down the waterway in an authentic canal boat; navigating the step locks, staying overnight in a bed & breakfast and most importantly, stopping along the way to make authentic large-format tintypes on location, using a portable darkroom.

This excursion is modeled after similar trips that took place in the 1860’s by members of the Philadelphia Photograph Exchange Club. Groups like this consisted mostly of  ‘gentleman scholars’; men with the benefit of free time, the resources needed to pursue such an involved hobby and an aptitude to make legitimate contributions to an ever evolving science. Outings like a canal trip were an excellent opportunity for amateur photographers to share their techniques, enjoy the surroundings and generally celebrate the wonderful process of making images in a camera.

The Philadelphia Photographic Exchange Club

In that period it was “mule teams”on shore that pulled the canal boats along, and although we will be taking advantage of the internal combustion engine, it’s in the same spirit that we set out to explore the Erie Canal in the first week of June. It’s a rare treat to learn the wet collodion technique from one of the world’s leading authorities, while also getting a chance to forget the modern world for a few days and relive a piece of photography’s past.

UPDATE: The workshop sold out over the weekend, but if interested, please take a look at the rest of our workshops through 2013.

If this sounds like a fantastic opportunity, you’ll be pleased to hear that there’s one open spot remaining in our roster! 

See you at the movies!

More about the Dryden Theatre’s recent renovation here.

Ray Harryhausen at the Dryden Theatre in 2004

The great Ray Harryhausen died on Tuesday. The pioneering animator and special effects artist visited us at the Dryden Theatre nine years ago this month to receive the George Eastman Honorary Scholar award. The house was sold out for this very special event. Harryhausen was a major influence on virtually every science fiction and fantasy filmmaker of the last 60 years. It was his imagination that created some of the most memorable and beloved creatures in the history of cinema.

Beginning with THE 7TH VOYAGE OF SINBAD he conceived ideas, drew conceptual artwork, supervised all animation sequences and served as co-producer of all his films. As John Landis pointed out in a Dryden interview only one week earlier, this fact makes Harryhausen that rare non-director to earn the designation of an auteur. It’s the realization of Harryhausen’s vision that you’re witnessing when you watch CLASH OF THE TITANS or JASON AND THE ARGONAUTS. Those are his films.

Ray Harryhausen at the Dryden Theatre in 2004

Harryhausen was generous when he visited the Dryden. He signed autographs, posed for pictures and answered questions. His sense of humor put the audience at ease when he said
“Some people call me a geek. I don’t know what that means, but I guess it’s a compliment.”  

He said that he will always be grateful to Kodak. When he got out of the Army he took with him 1000 feet of outdated Kodachrome stock that was going to be thrown out. He decided to try shooting some fairy tales and the color “still looks beautiful after all these years.”

It was the beginning of a legendary career in the movies.

The Joel Hodgson (MST3K) is coming to town this Saturday May 4 at 8 p.m., to entertain with his brand new one-man show (Riffling Myself). We are looking forward to Hodgson diving into the stories of his B-movie insanity (think ventriloquist dummies and how MST3K took off.)

We’re giving a pair of tickets to this evening – one you won’t want to miss. Follow these two steps now, fast as you can!

1. Share this event on Facebook or Twitter. One or the other.

Share on Twitter

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2. Then, leave us a comment identifying which three episodes are captured in the stills below (you must get all three right!)

 
*comment entries will be hidden until winner announced

Contest starts today – we’ll pick a winner and announce Wednesday April 30, at 12:00 p.m. EST.

Or take no chances and buy tickets today.
 

As part of Silver and Water, currently on view in the museum’s South and Brackett Clark galleries, an 8-foot by 12-foot negative of Kodak’s chemical factory was soaked in a shallow bath of water, the silver image slowly decaying.

8×12 negative

Silver and Water artists Lauren Bon and the Optics Division of the Metabolic Studio are returning to Eastman House to create a public darkroom performance with the negative. The South Gallery is in process of being converted into a darkened space, and, with audience participation, a giant contact print of the decayed image will be created.

working on the transition this week

Wednesday, May 8 at 6:00 p.m.
The event is included with museum admission, if you’re in town we hope to see you there!

Receipt of one of the first cameras to be sold in the U.S.

Samuel A. Bemis (1793–1881), a Boston dentist and amateur daguerreotypist, bought one of the first cameras ever sold in the United States on April 15, 1840. Fortunately, he and his heirs saved not only the camera but also its receipt. While it is likely too late to return the camera, the receipt is useful as evidence of what is probably the earliest documented sale of an American daguerrean outfit.

Thanks to the dentist’s pack rat ways, we know that on April 15, 1840, he paid $76 to François Gouraud, Giroux’s agent in the U.S., for a “daguerreotype apparatus,” twelve whole plates at $2 each, and a freight charge of $1.

Full-plate daguerreotype camera (owned by S. A. Bemis)

The apparatus, which Gouraud advertised as consisting of sixty-two items, included the camera, lens, plate holder, iodine box for sensitizing plates, mercury box for developing plates, holding box for unused plates, and a large wooden trunk to house the entire system. Quite large, the camera weighs about thirteen pounds and can produce full-plate images, 6½ x 8½ inches in size.

Full-plate daguerreotype camera outfit

Bemis made his first daguerreotype on April 19, 1840, from the window of his Boston office, and during the next several years went on to expose more than three hundred images, most of them in his beloved White Mountains of New Hampshire. The George Eastman House collection also contains a second Bemis camera and nineteen of his images.

First  S.A. Bemis Daguerreotype

Bemis’ Inventory in 1936 discussing the camera purchase in 1840.

Roger Ebert in 2006 at the Dryden Theatre at George Eastman House

Roger Ebert was such a good writer that he earned a Pulitzer Prize — the first film critic to earn the honor. And because he made major contributions to the art of film, George Eastman House bestowed upon him in 2006 the title of George Eastman Honorary Scholar.

Mr. Ebert passed away on April 4, 2013 at age 70, following a long battle with cancer. He leaves behind a great legacy, which was elevating film criticism to an art form. He influenced our thinking about cinema, from scriptwriting to acting, and motivated us to talk about it, either over coffee

with friends or via scholarly discussions online.

When Mr. Ebert visited Eastman House, he was keenly interested in our film preservation efforts and publicly told the Dryden Theatre audience,

“George Eastman House is among the holy places of cinema, where films are

loved and preserved.”

He also noted, “I won the Pulitzer Prize in 1975, but I know I’m supposed to sound more noble now that I’m a George Eastman Honorary Scholar.”

Roger Ebert and I in the Dryden Theatre lobby

On a personal note, I thoroughly enjoyed meeting and talking with Roger Ebert, who kindly participated in a press conference with our local news outlets – he was approachable, generous and, for certain, a font of knowledge in regard to film.

Over the last few years, I stayed in contact with Mr. Ebert, who remained a passionate supporter of the museum. When the museum gave an award last year to Richard Gere, I needed a single quote that would sum up the breadth of Gere’s career. I wrote to Mr. Ebert and he came through immediately for us.

When the Eastman House acquired the Merchant Ivory Productions film archive in 2010, I needed the perfect quote for the press release, to reflect the importance of these treasures and the brilliance of the Merchant Ivory team. I asked Roger Ebert for that quote, and he readily shared one:

“Working fruitfully over five decades, the team of Merchant and Ivory held steady with a vision centering on the adaptation of great literature to the screen. Without compromise, observing the highest standards, they made intelligent and worthy films that remain memorable.” And he signed the email, “Cheers, R”.

And the above quote is quite relevant since this past week we lost the writing powerhouse of the Merchant Ivory team, Ruth Prawer Jhabvala.

James Ivory, also a George Eastman Honorary Scholar, is joining us in person at the Dryden Theatre tomorrow evening. With his help, we will salute these legends and be proud of their connections to our film collections as well as their place in film history.