Wordsworth Donisthorpe, Blackmail, and the First Motion Pictures
Wordsworth Donisthorpe, a forgotten polymath, invented a motion picture camera in 1876 using photosensitive glass plates. Despite innovative ideas like combining it with Edison's phonograph, financial and technical challenges halted his progress.
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Wordsworth Donisthorpe, a forgotten polymath, made significant contributions to various fields, including inventing a motion picture camera in 1876. His patent described a device for capturing continuous motion pictures using photosensitive glass plates. Donisthorpe's vision extended to combining his camera with Thomas Edison's phonograph for talking pictures. Despite his innovative ideas, financial and technical challenges hindered his progress. In 1890, he and his cousin, William Carr Crofts, shot a short film of Trafalgar Square using their unique camera design. However, lack of funding and support led to their project's eventual demise. Donisthorpe's legacy lies not only in his failed attempts at motion pictures but also in his involvement in politics, chess, and writing. His life reflects a blend of creativity, ambition, and perseverance, despite facing setbacks in the nascent era of cinematography.
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1 commentsNo wonder they didn't choose him as the father of film, he went all in on experiencing real life instead. Funny how these days a refined film must maintain illusion and suspend disbelief to be called soulful and people will rewatch them until they can remember every line.
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