The IMAX of the 1890s, HOW TO SEE the First Movies

We live in an environment where there are moving images constantly around us. But in 1897, this was startling and new and completely revolutionary. It was a different way of looking at the world. In 1939, MoMA acquired a treasure of thirtysix reels of 68mm nitrate prints and negatives made in cinemas first years. Everything that survived of the Biograph film company lives on those reels, including a rare bit of moving image footage of Queen Victoria. For the latest edition of How to See, we visited MoMAs film archives in Hamlin, Pennsylvania to learn more about the incredible quality and clarity of this newly discovered nineteenthcentury movie, and the efforts archivists make to preserve such irreplaceable snapshots of history. Curator Dave Kehr joins the discussion to help us look at the early film with the same aweinspired, expanded view of the world of its first audiences. Subscribe for our latest videos, and invitations to live events: Explore our collection online: http: