Balfour Morrison Home Movies, circa 1936
Identifier
F.MS-0153
Date Of Production
1936
Abstract
Helen Balfour Morrison (1901-1984) started as a commercial photographer in Evanston, Illinois but took up her camera as a serious artist in the 1930s. In the 1950s she set aside her portrait work and primarily photographed/recorded modern dancer Sybil Shearer, with whom she had developed a collaborative artistic partnership.
These reels are early examples of Helen’s fascination and expertise with the growing field of motion picture technologies, a tinkering hobby often reserved for men of her generation. The reels document her early family life, Chicago’s North Shore in the early part of the twentieth century, and a personal interest in capturing moving bodies on screen.
These reels are early examples of Helen’s fascination and expertise with the growing field of motion picture technologies, a tinkering hobby often reserved for men of her generation. The reels document her early family life, Chicago’s North Shore in the early part of the twentieth century, and a personal interest in capturing moving bodies on screen.
Description
This reel includes footage of Bob Morrison, Harriet and Malcolm Balfour, and (briefly) Helen herself, chatting and posing in front of a convertible car on a fall day.
Format
16mm
Extent
140 feet
Color
B&W
Sound
Silent
Reel/Tape Number
1/1
Has Been Digitized?
Yes
Language Of Materials
English
Element
Reversal Positives
Form
Related Collections
Related Places
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