Victor Animatograph Corporation
Encyclopedia
The Victor Animatograph Corporation was a maker of projection equipment founded in 1910 in Davenport, Iowa
.
The firm made its first 16 mm
camera
and movie projector
in 1923, the same year Eastman Kodak
introduced the Cine-Kodak
and Kodascope
. Victor advertised through his entire career thereafter that he had marketed the first 16mm equipment, but his claim was incorrect by several weeks, since the Cine-Kodak
had been introduced in July, substantially earlier than Victor's August marketing date. Victor's first 16mm camera was a hand-cranked rectangular aluminum box designed for the additional film economy of cranking only 14 frames per second instead of the standard sixteen. A later version of this first Victor was driven by an electric motor. Neither camera sold in large numbers, but Victor followed in 1927 with a more successful camera modeled on the Bell & Howell Filmo
. Victor offered many models of 16mm projectors, most with only minor variations, but prior to military contracts won during World War II
, all were made and sold in very small numbers, from 20 units to usually no more than a couple of thousand units.
Davenport, Iowa
Davenport is a city located along the Mississippi River in Scott County, Iowa, United States. Davenport is the county seat of and largest city in Scott County. Davenport was founded on May 14, 1836 by Antoine LeClaire and was named for his friend, George Davenport, a colonel during the Black Hawk...
.
The firm made its first 16 mm
16 mm film
16 mm film refers to a popular, economical gauge of film used for motion pictures and non-theatrical film making. 16 mm refers to the width of the film...
camera
Camera
A camera is a device that records and stores images. These images may be still photographs or moving images such as videos or movies. The term camera comes from the camera obscura , an early mechanism for projecting images...
and movie projector
Movie projector
A movie projector is an opto-mechanical device for displaying moving pictures by projecting them on a projection screen. Most of the optical and mechanical elements, except for the illumination and sound devices, are present in movie cameras.-Physiology:...
in 1923, the same year Eastman Kodak
Eastman Kodak
Eastman Kodak Company is a multinational imaging and photographic equipment, materials and services company headquarted in Rochester, New York, United States. It was founded by George Eastman in 1892....
introduced the Cine-Kodak
Cine-Kodak
The Cine-Kodak was the first 16mm camera, introduced in 1923. It was a rectangular cast aluminum box approximately 8 inches square, and was cranked by hand at two turns per second to achieve the necessary 16 frames per second. Hand turning meant that a tripod was essential while allowing...
and Kodascope
Kodascope
Kodascope is a name created by Eastman Kodak Company for the projector it placed on the market in 1923 as part of the first 16mm motion picture equipment. The original Kodascope was part of an outfit that included the Cine-Kodak camera, tripod, Kodascope projector, projection screen, and film...
. Victor advertised through his entire career thereafter that he had marketed the first 16mm equipment, but his claim was incorrect by several weeks, since the Cine-Kodak
Cine-Kodak
The Cine-Kodak was the first 16mm camera, introduced in 1923. It was a rectangular cast aluminum box approximately 8 inches square, and was cranked by hand at two turns per second to achieve the necessary 16 frames per second. Hand turning meant that a tripod was essential while allowing...
had been introduced in July, substantially earlier than Victor's August marketing date. Victor's first 16mm camera was a hand-cranked rectangular aluminum box designed for the additional film economy of cranking only 14 frames per second instead of the standard sixteen. A later version of this first Victor was driven by an electric motor. Neither camera sold in large numbers, but Victor followed in 1927 with a more successful camera modeled on the Bell & Howell Filmo
Filmo
Filmo is a series of 16-mm movie equipment made by the Bell & Howell Company. The line included cameras, projectors and accessories.-History:...
. Victor offered many models of 16mm projectors, most with only minor variations, but prior to military contracts won during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, all were made and sold in very small numbers, from 20 units to usually no more than a couple of thousand units.
External links
- Victor archive listing at the University of Iowa