Taking Stock at the National Archives -- Part 4

Hi-
Today you will find the fourth part of the article Taking Stock at the National Archives: Finding Footage in America’s Film Vault. It was published in the Summer 2009 edition of Documentary magazine, the publication of the International Documentary Association. I hope you are finding it informative.

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The Donated Category

As mentioned earlier, donated motion pictures make up a significant segment of the overall collection. DMGs are usually personal or organizational motion pictures accepted by NARA under a “deed of gift.” One such film is Carmencita, Spanish Dance (1894), a Thomas A. Edison Kinetoscope from the Thomas Armat Collection (ARMAT-ARMAT). This 115-year-old motion picture is probably the oldest film in the custody of NARA. Also included in this DMG category are three Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) collections, the 3,400 films of the Ford Motor Company and 38 years worth of the Universal Newsreel. All together, there are 161 DMG collections that contain motion pictures for you to investigate.

An excellent example of a DMG is the Harmon Foundation Collection. Real estate developer William E. Harmon established his foundation in 1922 to fund parks and playgrounds in growing communities and to provide loans for students. By the time the foundation ceased operations in 1967, its scope had grown to encompass numerous aspects of community and family life. The 300 or so associated motion picture titles (which date from 1930 to 1951) document the arts, crafts and societies throughout the world with particular emphasis on Native Americans, African-Americans, Africans, Mexicans and Chinese. Harmon Foundation films (H-HF) such as The American Indian: When the White Man Came and After (1933) and Ceramics Is a Disciplined Art: Use of the Potter’s Wheel (1949) were donated without restrictions.

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Part 5 in this series is next and will take a look at the The Archival Research Catalog and some rearch tips.
If you are at all interested in film research, please take a look at my book, America's Film Vault, at my website, or on Amazon.com.
Thanks.
Phil
www.pwstewart.com