Foto-Cinematography
Historical photographic procedures
The collection is not oriented on artistic works of photographers but reflects the history of photographic technique as such.
A remarkable part of the collection is devoted to daguerrotypy – the oldest practically applied photographic technique. The collection contains two daguerrotypies of J.L. M.Daguerre himself. Particularly precious is also a microdaguerrotypy from 1840 and a daguerrotypy of sun spectrum. Quite numerous collection is devoted to one of European pioneers of photography Wilhelm Horn. The period of a painting conception of photographic recording from the 50s and 60s of last century is represented in the collection by ambrotypy and chromophotography. The collection also contains a set of albums with portraits, examples of activities of the first Czech photographic associations, and stereophotography. Beginnings of colour photography are documented by Lippmann's photographs and particularly by the collection of autochromes which is the largest in the Czech Republic. Karel Smirous is the dominating author of this oldest practically applied technique of colour photography. The collection also comprises special photographic techniques and rarities creating an attractive supplement and documenting the variety of possibilities of photographic recording.
Photographic cameras and accessories
The collection of photographic cameras and
accessories dates back to 1911 and was combined with the field of
polygraphy. Since 1923 the collection has been developing independently. It
documents the development of basic design groups of photographic cameras. It
contains objects demonstrating fundamental chemical and physical processes in
the field.
The oldest are examples of camera obscura – predecessors of photographic dark-rooms, the collection follows with chambers for daguerrotypy. The wet colloid process is represented by several studio dark-rooms as well as travel chambers. The collection also contains many studio and travel chambers for dry plates, manual chambers for plates as well as reel film, cassette, box, tilting and brace types, single- and twin-lens reflex cameras, cameras for cine-film, mini-cameras, special cameras – underwater, panoramatic, stereoscopic, for aerial photography, for microphotography, for spectroscopy, camouflaged, reproduction, cameras for component colour photography – Bernpohl, Spektaretta.
The collection of individual photographic objects counts about five hundred pieces. It includes objectives from the oldest models (Plosl, Chevalier, Voigtlender, Petzval, Steinheil, Busch) to modern types. A large part of the collection comprises accessories of cameras, outfit of dark-rooms, instruments for determination of exposure, illuminating technique, flash and filament lamps. A very large part of the collection is devoted to instruments for inspection and projection of static pictures. The collection is completed with price lists of photographic firms and promotion materials.
Prehistory of cinematography
The collection documents development from
the first attempts at recording motion and representing events to the
cinematograph of brothers Lumiere. It contains originals of magic lantern of
simple as well as complex design that made it possible to create illusion of
motion by a multiple projection. Quite abundant is the collection of hand-
painted projection pictures.
The collection also contains tens of stroboscope disks, thaumatrops, magic drums and similar instruments – toys that utilized reverberation of sight perception for showing simple actions. Worth particular attention is a set of three-dimensional models depicting ten motion stages of a bird's flight. It served as a pattern for manufacturing the copy of Marey's miroscope. The field of serial photography of motion phases is represented by copies of the Marey's and Demeny's instruments and tens of original chromophotographic studies by Marey. The collection comprises also a copy of Muybridge's zoopraxiscope – an apparatus for projection of serial photographs. There is also a functional copy of Anschutz's electrotachyscope including original picture disks and also functional precise copy of the Edison's kinescope.
The work of prof. Reynaud is represented by several originals of praxinoscopes and a world unique fragment (17 picture frames) of the original film band for projection praxinoscope.
The original cinematograph of brothers Lumiere was purchased in Lyon in 1898 by architect Krizenecky who made with it the first Czech films. The copy of this apparatus completed with a lamp box documents using of this instrument in projection. The collection is completed with many written materials.
Cinematographic equipment and auxiliary instruments
This collection follows up with the collection of prehistory of cinematography and it documents the development of film technology after 1895. It also contains many simple models outlining basic principles utilized in this field (step-wise shifting of a film band, camera view finder, diaphragms, shutters, sound recording). The oldest period is represented by wooden cameras of the first producers (Messter, Ernemann, Pathe, Ertel, Debrie).
An honourable position among the first all-metal cameras from the early 20s is reserved for high-quality products of Czech designer J. Šlechta. Coming of sound film in the 30s is documented by studio cameras closed into soundproof boxes. Later period is represented by several professional cameras of Czech as well as foreign provenance. The collection contains amateur cameras of all used film sizes and their accessories.
Many objects document processing of film in laboratories (developing machines, copiers) and finalizing works (cutting and mixing tables). Projection technique is represented by several hundreds of projectors of different designs. Worth particular attention is a set of over one hundred professional cinema projectors of all important world producers. Quite numerous is also the collection of separate projection heads, lamp boxes and burners. Studio technique is represented by various illumination sources and two models of a film studio. Sound equipment of cinemas is represented by amplifiers and loudspeakers. The collection ends with movie posters and film literature.