Guide to Silent film and early Hollywood ephemera collection C0337
Silent film and early Hollywood ephemera collection
George Mason University. Libraries. Special Collections Research Center
Fenwick Library, MS2FL4400 University Dr.
Fairfax, Virginia 22030
Business Number: 703-993-2220
Fax Number: 703-993-8911
speccoll@gmu.edu
URL: https://scrc.gmu.edu
Amanda Menjivar
Administrative Information
Use Restrictions
For materials created 1926 and earlier: Public Domain, no known restrictions.
For materials created after 1926: The copyright and related rights status of this collection have not been evaluated (See http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/CNE/1.0/)
Access Restrictions
There are no access restrictions.
Preferred Citation
Silent film and early Hollywood ephemera collection, C0337, Special Collections Research Center, George Mason University Libraries.
Acquisition Information
The donor is unknown.
Processing Information
Processing and finding aid completed by Amanda Menjivar in January 2023.
Historical Information
The silent film era lasted from 1910 - 1927 and was marked by the advent of narrative motion pictures. By the 1920s, the motion picture industry was fully formed, with "movie stars" and studios becoming household names. The incorporation of sound into film, also known as "talkies," occurred in 1927, setting the path for future cinema.
Fine Arts Film Company, also known as Triangle Fine Arts, was a film production company owned by D.W. Griffith, Thomas H. Ince, and Mack Sennett. The company was split into thirds and run by each individual, with Triangle Fine Arts run by Griffith. The studio produced dozens of films during its existence. Griffith was the director of The Birth of a Nation , a racist, white supremacist film that greatly impacted the trajectory of filmmaking.
Scope and Content
Content warning: Racist language, content, and imagery.
Pamphlets, booklets, and programs promoting silent and early Hollywood films, created 1915 - 1939. The majority of the collection consists of promotional pamphlets which were used as programs for films shown at Cota Theatre (location unknown). There are also booklets and programs that were distributed by various production companies to promote their films, most notably Triangle Fine Arts, more widely known as Fine Arts Film Company.
Arrangement
Arranged chronologically and then alphabetically by title.
Related Material
The Special Collections Research Center holds other materials on motion pictures and filmmaking.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
- Filmmaking (Motion pictures)
- Gish, Lillian, 1893-1993
- Silent films
Bibliography
Cook, D. A. and Sklar, . Robert. "history of film." Encyclopedia Britannica, Invalid Date. https://www.britannica.com/art/history-of-the-motion-picture.
"Douglas Fairbanks at Triangle Motion Picture Company[.]" Obscure Hollywood. Accessed January 27, 2023. https://obscurehollywood.net/douglas-fairbanks-triangle-fine-arts.html.
Container List
Content Warning: Racist language and subject matter.
Two pamphlets.
Two pamphlets.
Content Warning: Racist language and yellowface imagery.
Two pamphlets and one booklet.