Study Notes on The Early History of Travel Films

The history of cinema is primarily viewed as a history of films.
Post-1915, the feature film dominated cinema; however, this film-centric view illustrates shortcomings in understanding early cinema.
Early moving pictures functioned similarly to theatrical props, gaining significance through their integration into live performances.
The American entertainment arts were largely controlled by performers, as highlighted by theatrical trade publications:
  - The Billboard
  - The New York Clipper
  - The New York Dramatic Mirror
These publications primarily reported on acts and performers, rather than cinema as an independent product.
Other entertainment products of the era included sheet music, phonograph records, and moving pictures, which were viewed as supplementary props for performers.

Early cinema should be understood through a performer-centric perspective rather than a film-centric one, particularly when studying documentary and travel films.
Histories of documentary film frequently began in the 1920s, glorifying figures like Robert Flaherty while neglecting earlier developments (e.g., Barsam 1973).
Scholars like Kristin Thompson and David Bordwell have claimed that before the 1920s, documentary films were largely restricted to newsreels and scenic shorts (Thompson and Bordwell 1994).
This view overlooks the extensive production landscape of travel films in the initial quarter-century of cinema.

The exploration of early travel films must begin with those who “performed” them, such as lecturers rather than indexed as “films, travel.”
Various types of lecturers influenced travel films, with two main categories:
a) Those who recited descriptions provided by production companies.
b) Those who created their own commentary.
The most significant lecturers for travel films were those on the Lyceum and Chautauqua circuits, who carried projectors and homemade films (Gaudreault and Lacasse 1996).
The Lyceum movement began in the 1830s, evolving from lectures intended to educate and inspire the public. - James Redpath established a talent bureau in 1868 to provide lecturers for Lyceums across the country. - In 1874, Lewis Miller and John Heyl Vincent formed a summer Lyceum on Lake Chautauqua, which eventually extended into year-round lectures.

Lyceum circuit lecturers typically performed in public venues, including:
  - Town halls
  - Public auditoriums
  - Concert halls and opera houses
  - Churches
Lecturers moved from town to town, presenting the same lecture or series repeatedly across a season, utilizing summer downtime for developing new material.
This routine persisted until around 1915, when tent Chautauquas gained popularity as summer events.
Prominent travel lecturers such as Edward L. Wilson and John L. Stoddard used lantern slides, initially complements to their lectures on scenic locations.

The illustrated lecture concept involves a verbal discourse providing temporal and geographic continuity while engaging with the audience interaction.
Illustrations (lantern slides or films) serve an adjectival role, enhancing the lecture’s narrative.
Notably, Burton Holmes integrated moving pictures into his performances, initially treating them as novelties by placing them at the end of his talks before gradually incorporating them within his presentations (Holmes 1901; Altman 2004b).
Advertisements for Holmes’s lectures emphasized the term “lecture,” relegating moving pictures to minor roles in promotional material.

From 1897 onwards, many travel lecturers began to complement traditional slides with moving pictures.
Edward Burton McDowell (who later adopted the name MacDowell) was a pivotal figure in this transition, shifting from lantern slides to including film in his presentations. - McDowell’s films showcased stunning scenes from destinations like Arizona, Yosemite, and Panama, often operated by hired projectionists during lectures.
His films often highlighted animated subjects, such as:
  - Feeding Times on farms
  - Coastal scenes during the storms
  - Wildlife and environmental interactions
By the mid-1910s, numerous traveling lecturers had captured moving images from diverse global regions, leading to a flourishing of travel films.

The tradition of using films and slides for lectures blossomed into a cottage industry by the second decade of the twentieth century.
The incorporation of moving pictures into lectures led to a diversification of topics, with lecturers like J. E. Comerford enhancing their presentations with sound effects and sensational spectacles.