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Photo, Print, Drawing Edison kinetoscopic record of a sneeze / taken & copyrighted by W.K.-L. Dickson, Orange, N.J. Fred Ott's sneeze

[ digital file from original, no. 1 ]

More Resources

[ digital file from original, no. 2 ]
[ digital file from color film copy transparency LC-USZC4-4861 ]
[ digital file from color film copy transparency LC-USZC4-3652 ]
[ digital file from color film copy neg. LC-USZCN4-16 ]
[ digital file from b&w film copy neg. LC-USZ62-536 ]
[ digital file from b&w film copy neg. LC-USZ62-44602 ]

About this Item

Title

  • Edison kinetoscopic record of a sneeze / taken & copyrighted by W.K.-L. Dickson, Orange, N.J.

Other Title

  • Fred Ott's sneeze

Summary

  • Photograph consists of a series of 45 frames for a movie showing a man, Fred Ott, sneezing. This photographic print mounted on card stock is the earliest surviving "motion picture" registered for copyright at the Library of Congress, received on January 9, 1894. Colloquially known as "Fred Ott's Sneeze" for its star (an Edison engineer), the photo represents the dawn of filmmaking in America while remaining something of an historical accident. In 1894 there was no provision in the copyright law for the registration of motion picture film--the format still being in the process of invention and refinement--but, fortunately, the Copyright Office allowed the Kinetoscopic Record of a Sneeze to be registered as a photograph.

Names

  • Dickson, W. K.-L. (William Kennedy-Laurie), 1860-1935, photographer

Created / Published

  • c1894 Jan. 9.

Headings

  • -  Ott, Frederic P
  • -  Sneezing--1890-1900

Headings

  • Gelatin printing-out paper prints--1890-1900.
  • Motion study photographs--1890-1900.

Genre

  • Motion study photographs--1890-1900
  • Gelatin printing-out paper prints--1890-1900

Notes

  • -  44732Y U.S. Copyright Office.
  • -  The related movie was made for publicity purposes, as a series of still photographs to accompany an article in Harper's weekly. It is 5 seconds long and was filmed ca. January 2-7, 1894, in Thomas Edison's Black Maria studio. A digitized copy is available online through the Library of Congress' American Memory, http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.mbrsmi/edmp.0026A
  • -  Title from item.
  • -  Library has two copies.
  • -  Published in: Eyes of the nation : a visual history of the United States / Vincent Virga and curators of the Library of Congress ; historical commentary by Alan Brinkley. New York : Knopf, 1997.
  • -  Published in: Viewpoints; a selection from the pictorial collections of the Library of Congress .... Washington : Library of Congress ..., 1975, no. 172.
  • -  Exhibited: American Treasures of the Library of Congress.
  • -  Exhibited: "Capitol Visitor Center" at the U.S. Capitol, Washington, D.C., 2010-2011.

Medium

  • 1 photographic print : gelatin printing-out paper print ; 7 x 5 in.

Call Number/Physical Location

  • PH - Dickson (W.), no. 2 (AA size) [P&P] PH - Dickson (W.), no. 1

Repository

Digital Id

Library of Congress Control Number

  • 95505651

Reproduction Number

  • LC-DIG-ppmsca-85607 (digital file from original, no. 1) LC-DIG-ppmsca-13462 (digital file from original, no. 2) LC-USZC4-4861 (color film copy transparency of no. 2) LC-USZC4-3652 (color film copy transparencyof no. 2) LC-USZCN4-16 (color film copy neg. of no. 2) LC-USZ62-536 (b&w film copy neg. of cropped image of no. 2) LC-USZ62-44602 (b&w film copy neg. of detail of no. 1; does not show text handwritten below the photo)

Online Format

  • image

Additional Metadata Formats

Rights & Access

The Library of Congress does not own rights to material in its collections. Therefore, it does not license or charge permission fees for use of such material and cannot grant or deny permission to publish or otherwise distribute the material.

Ultimately, it is the researcher's obligation to assess copyright or other use restrictions and obtain permission from third parties when necessary before publishing or otherwise distributing materials found in the Library's collections.

For information about reproducing, publishing, and citing material from this collection, as well as access to the original items, see: PH Filing Series - Rights and Restrictions Information

  • Rights Advisory: See Rights and Restrictions Information Page
  • Reproduction Number: LC-DIG-ppmsca-85607 (digital file from original, no. 1) LC-DIG-ppmsca-13462 (digital file from original, no. 2) LC-USZC4-4861 (color film copy transparency of no. 2) LC-USZC4-3652 (color film copy transparencyof no. 2) LC-USZCN4-16 (color film copy neg. of no. 2) LC-USZ62-536 (b&w film copy neg. of cropped image of no. 2) LC-USZ62-44602 (b&w film copy neg. of detail of no. 1; does not show text handwritten below the photo)
  • Call Number: PH - Dickson (W.), no. 2 (AA size) [P&P] PH - Dickson (W.), no. 1
  • Access Advisory: ---

Obtaining Copies

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  1. Is the item digitized? (A thumbnail (small) image will be visible on the left.)

    • Yes, the item is digitized. Please use the digital image in preference to requesting the original. All images can be viewed at a large size when you are in any reading room at the Library of Congress. In some cases, only thumbnail (small) images are available when you are outside the Library of Congress because the item is rights restricted or has not been evaluated for rights restrictions.
      As a preservation measure, we generally do not serve an original item when a digital image is available. If you have a compelling reason to see the original, consult with a reference librarian. (Sometimes, the original is simply too fragile to serve. For example, glass and film photographic negatives are particularly subject to damage. They are also easier to see online where they are presented as positive images.)
    • No, the item is not digitized. Please go to #2.
  2. Do the Access Advisory or Call Number fields above indicate that a non-digital surrogate exists, such as microfilm or copy prints?

    • Yes, another surrogate exists. Reference staff can direct you to this surrogate.
    • No, another surrogate does not exist. Please go to #3.
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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:

Dickson, W. K.-L, photographer. Edison kinetoscopic record of a sneeze / taken & copyrighted by W.K.-L. Dickson, Orange, N.J. , ca. 1894. Jan. 9. Photograph. https://www.loc.gov/item/95505651/.

APA citation style:

Dickson, W. K. -., photographer. (ca. 1894) Edison kinetoscopic record of a sneeze / taken & copyrighted by W.K.-L. Dickson, Orange, N.J. , ca. 1894. Jan. 9. [Photograph] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/95505651/.

MLA citation style:

Dickson, W. K.-L, photographer. Edison kinetoscopic record of a sneeze / taken & copyrighted by W.K.-L. Dickson, Orange, N.J. Jan. 9. Photograph. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/95505651/>.