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Film, Video A nymph of the waves

About this Item

Title

  • A nymph of the waves

Summary

  • "This is a double-printing picture combining a view of Mlle. Cathrina Bartho in her celebrated "Speedway" dance, with one of the Whirlpool Rapids of Niagara Falls, the resulting effect being that the dancer appears to be gliding over the surface of the rushing waters. 25 feet"--American Mutoscope & Biograph picture catalogue.
  • Superimposition of a woman dancing over footage of crashing waves from the rapids of Niagara Falls. The woman wears a frilly, perhaps feather-trimmed, white dress with a low-cut bodice, a matching feathered hat, white stockings, and white ballet slippers. She holds up her skirt through the entire dance, revealing her ankles and lower legs as well as a flash of a garter above the knee on her left leg. Her movements appear to be a mixture of ballet and variety-style dancing such as a cancan, including spins and toesteps on pointe. She closes with a flourish of her skirt as she executes a curtsy on pointe with one foot.

Names

  • Bartho, Cathrina, performer.
  • American Mutoscope and Biograph Company.
  • Paper Print Collection (Library of Congress)

Created / Published

  • United States : American Mutoscope and Biograph Company, [1900?].

Headings

  • -  Ballet
  • -  Cancan (Dance)
  • -  Dancers
  • -  Whirlpool Rapids (N.Y. and Ont.)
  • -  Niagara Falls (N.Y. and Ont.)

Genre

  • Trick films
  • Filmed vaudeville acts
  • Silent films
  • Short films
  • Nonfiction films

Notes

  • -  H30731 U.S. Copyright Office
  • -  Copyright: American Mutoscope & Biograph Co.; 24Apr1903; H30731.
  • -  Original main title lacking.
  • -  Performer: Cathrina Bartho.
  • -  Camera, F.S. Armitage.
  • -  Approximate release date of December 1900 from AFI catalog: film beginnings.
  • -  Duration: 0:24 at 16 fps.
  • -  Credit for cameraman, F.S. Armitage is taken from the Biograph production logs, however, this film is a product of two earlier Biograph films, probably taken by other cameramen.
  • -  According to the AFI catalog, the cameraman for Upper Rapids from bridge was W.K.L. Dickson. According to the Biograph production logs, W.K.L. Dickson was the producer and G.W. Bitzer was the cameraman. The Biograph production logs give only the name "Johnston" as the cameraman for M'lle. Cathrina Bartho, possibly referring to Arthur E. Johnston
  • -  Double-printing on Dec. 8, 1900, of Biograph production no. 1210, M'lle. Cathrina Bartho (filmed September 7, 1899 in the New York City studio, probably by Arthur E. Johnston), and Biograph production no. 70, Upper rapids from bridge, Niagara Falls (filmed ca. September, 1896 at Niagara Falls, New York, by W.K.L. Dickson). Made in the Biograph studio, New York City.
  • -  Biograph production no. 1716.
  • -  Paper print shelf number (LC 0403) was changed when the paper prints were re-housed.
  • -  Additional holdings for this title may be available. Contact reference librarian.
  • -  Available also through the Library of Congress Web site as digital files.
  • -  Sources used: Copyright catalog, motion pictures, 1894-1912; Niver, K., Early motion pictures, p. 225; AFI catalog: film beginnings, 1893-1910, p. 741; Biograph bulletins 1896-1908, p. 70; American Mutoscope & Biograph picture catalogue, Nov. 1902 [MI], p. 71, 131; Biograph photo catalog, v. 1 and v. 3 [MI]; Biograph Co. production. records [MI].
  • -  Early motion pictures : the Paper Print Collection in the Library of Congress / by Kemp R. Niver. Library of Congress. 1985.

Medium

  • viewing print 1 film reel of 1 (10 ft.) : si., b&w ; 16 mm.
  • viewing print 1 film reel of 1 (24 ft.) : si., b&w ; 35 mm.
  • dupe neg pic 1 film reel of 1 (10 ft.) : si., b&w ; 16 mm.
  • dupe neg pic 1 film reel of 1 (24 ft.) : si., b&w ; 35 mm.
  • paper pos 1 roll of 1 (ca. 25 ft.) : b&w ; 35 mm.

Call Number/Physical Location

  • FLA 3417 (viewing print)
  • FEC 6330 (viewing print)
  • FRA 0706 (dupe neg pic)
  • FPF 6886 (dupe neg pic)
  • Box 5549F (paper pos)

Repository

  • Library of Congress Motion Picture, Broadcasting and Recorded Sound Division Washington, D.C. 20540 USA dcu

Digital Id

Library of Congress Control Number

  • 96520492

Online Format

  • image
  • video

Additional Metadata Formats

Rights & Access

The Library of Congress American Variety Stage collection is in the public domain and is free to use and reuse.

Credit Line: Library of Congress, Motion Picture, Broadcasting, and Recorded Sound Division

More about Copyright and other Restrictions

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Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

American Mutoscope And Biograph Company, and Paper Print Collection. A Nymph of the Waves. performeds by Bartho, Cathrina [United States: American Mutoscope and Biograph Company, ?, 1900] Video. https://www.loc.gov/item/96520492/.

APA citation style:

American Mutoscope And Biograph Company & Paper Print Collection. (1900) A Nymph of the Waves. Bartho, C., performer [United States: American Mutoscope and Biograph Company, ?] [Video] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/96520492/.

MLA citation style:

American Mutoscope And Biograph Company, and Paper Print Collection. A Nymph of the Waves. performer by Bartho, Cathrina [United States: American Mutoscope and Biograph Company, ?, 1900] Video. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/96520492/>.