Moving Images of Work Life Screening 4:56 AM

Catalogers Katrina Dixon, Karen Wyatt, and Tim Rohe curated a public screening, Work Life Revealed, on January 20 at Northeast Historic Film's cinema.

The audience included community members and scholars. Among the viewers were artists, graduate student Sarah Ruddy, University of Maine art historian Justin Wolff, long-time and new members of Northeast Historic Film, and board members. Staff support by Jessica Hosford, Jane Donnell, and Barbara Manning.

Special guests from Palermo, Maine, introduced the work of Milton Dowe from the Palermo Historical Society Collection. In the center above Gary Dyer, who said that the moving images were important for understanding both the nature place and the creativity of individuals. Dyer spoke movingly of his sense of patriotism and the human bonds the film represents.

Joe Gardner and Audrey Young were responsible for the transfers on the screen, with Phil Yates and Gemma Perretta projecting. Simmons GSLIS intern Tim Rohe, who received his degree this month, traveled from Boston to present excerpts from two collections he cataloged: the Charles S. Houston Collection, and Everett Greaton Collection. See program below.

Audience members spoke up during the screening; we noted particular interest in ice harvesting, hay baling, and the mayhem of landscape architect's Sidney Shurcliff's Motormaulers Club film. The evening was also a thank you to media cataloger Katrina Dixon, who--sadly for us--leaves Northeast Historic Film this week.

Movie Queen Collections excerpts

Boston Amateur Theatre Guild productions, 1936

Maine Sea Coast Mission Collection

Launching of Sunbeam III, 1939

Charles S. Houston Collection

Excerpt from Navy-sponsored film

Operation Everest, 1946

Irving S. Forbes Collection

Sheep on Naushon Island, MA, 1915

Ernest Groth Collection

Excerpt from Harvesting Ice, Spring Brook

Ice Company, New Britain, CT, 1926

Palermo Historical Society Collection

Hay baling, 1938

Remote control breakfast, ca. 1937

Everett Greaton Collection

Seaweed harvesting in Maine, ca. 1946

Hiram Historical Society Collection

Hiram Fire Department’s first fire engine, 1937

Charles B. Hinds Collection

Interior of the A.S. Hinds Laboratory, 1925

Sally Johnston Collection

Summer stock actors at Lakewood Theatre

in Skowhegan, ca. 1936

Alan Bemis Collection

Excerpt from the Motormaulers Club film

Junkman's Holiday, 1932

Metadata LIVE 4:53 PM

50 Collections of Work Life finding aids written using the DACS content standards with film reels in PBCore are now up on the project page here.

These and more Northeast Historic Film finding aids are here.

Work Life Revealed Screening Jan 20 4:03 PM

Northeast Historic Film's cinema at the Alamo Theatre, Bucksport, Maine, will host a free screening of moving images of work life on Thursday, January 20 at 7 p.m. The event highlights a year of exploring the moving image archives to describe collections not previously known to the public. The cataloging was supported by funding from the Council on Library and Information Resources Cataloging Hidden Special Collections and Archives program. Teachers and scholars are invited to inquire about the collections for research and use.

Catalogers Katrina Dixon, Karen Wyatt, and Tim Rohe will be on hand to introduce the screening and share their year of discoveries. Among other surprises, the team found a glimpse of actor Humphrey Bogart taken by another theater professional working at Lakewood Theatre near Skowhegan in the 1930s. On screen will be footage from the Charles B. Hinds Collection, 1925 footage of workers manufacturing Hinds Honey and Almond Hand Cream. Other selections will include Maine Sea Coast Mission's Bar Harbor-based service vessel Sunbeam, and Movie Queen, Belfast, one of a series of itinerant productions. There will also be an example of the work of Everett Greaton, who documented Maine in personal and promotional films as the first head of the Maine Development Commission, as well as clips showing the comedic antics of the Motormaulers Club and a breakfast-making robot.

This screening is the first in a series celebrating the 25th anniversary of NHF's founding, with screenings highlighting different aspects of its collections through 2011. A wine and cheese reception for Northeast Historic Film members will be held at 6 p.m. To become a member, call Jessica Hosford, Northeast Historic Film's external affairs director, 207 469-0924, extension 107. Or email jessica@oldfilm.org