Silent film and early Hollywood ephemera collection, 1915/1939

Access and use

Location of collection:
George Mason University
2400 Fenwick Library
Special Collections Research Center
Fenwick Library MS2FL
George Mason University
Fairfax, VA 22030
Contact for questions and access:
POC: Mieko Palazzo
Phone: (703) 993-2220
Fax: (703) 993-2669
Restrictions:

There are no access restrictions.

Terms of access:

The copyright and related rights status of this collection have not been evaluated. (See http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/CNE/1.0/)

Preferred citation:

Silent film and early Hollywood ephemera collection, C0337, Special Collections Research Center, George Mason University Libraries.

Summary

Extent:
.25 Linear Feet 1 box
Abstract:
Content warning: Racist language, content, and imagery. Pamphlets, booklets, and programs promoting silent and early Hollywood films, created 1915 - 1939.
Language:
English
Preferred citation:

Silent film and early Hollywood ephemera collection, C0337, Special Collections Research Center, George Mason University Libraries.

Background

Scope and content:

Content warning: Racist language, content, and imagery.

Pamphlets, booklets, and programs promoting silent and early Hollywood films, created 1915 - 1939. The majority of the collection consists of promotional pamphlets which were used as programs for films shown at Cota Theatre (location unknown). There are also booklets and programs that were distributed by various production companies to promote their films, most notably Triangle Fine Arts, more widely known as Fine Arts Film Company.

Content Warning: Racist language and subject matter.

Two pamphlets.

Two pamphlets.

Content Warning: Racist language and yellowface imagery.

Two pamphlets and one booklet.

Biographical / historical:

The silent film era lasted from 1910 - 1927 and was marked by the advent of narrative motion pictures. By the 1920s, the motion picture industry was fully formed, with "movie stars" and studios becoming household names. The incorporation of sound into film, also known as "talkies," occurred in 1927, setting the path for future cinema.

Fine Arts Film Company, also known as Triangle Fine Arts, was a film production company owned by D.W. Griffith, Thomas H. Ince, and Mack Sennett. The company was split into thirds and run by each individual, with Triangle Fine Arts run by Griffith. The studio produced dozens of films during its existence. Griffith was the director of The Birth of a Nation, a racist, white supremacist film that greatly impacted the trajectory of filmmaking.

Acquisition information:
The donor is unknown.
Processing information:

Processing and finding aid completed by Amanda Menjivar in January 2023.

Arrangement:

Arranged chronologically and then alphabetically by title.

Physical location:
R 72, C 3, S 4
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard