Collection Items

  • Film, Video
    Dud leaves home
    Us fellers: "Dud leaves home" | Goldwyn-Bray Pictographs, no. 7009     Dud wants to buy his girlfriend Maime an ice cream cone so he breaks open his mother's bank, and splits their last dime in half in the process. His mother punishes him so he runs away. Dud is scared by imaginary ghosts in the dark, so he runs back home where he gets a spanking from his mother.
    • Contributor: Bray Pictures Corporation - Afi/Marshall (George) Collection (Library of Congress) - Carlson, Wallace
    • Date: 1919
  • Film, Video
    AWOL, all wrong old Laddiebuck
    All wrong old Laddiebuck | AWOL; or, All wrong old Laddiebuck | A.W.O.L.     From J. McIntire, Silent animated films at the Library of Congress: Concerns American soldiers in Europe after the armstice [sic]. One goes AWOL with "Joy" (Miss AWOL) and after a series of mishaps with her, he is thrown in a guard house while his fellow soldiers go home. From Origin of American animation 1900-1921 notes: A cautionary tale for troops impatient to return home...
    • Contributor: Bowers, Charles R. - Afi/Rhode Island Historical Society Collection (Library of Congress) - American Motion Picture Corporation
    • Date: 1919
  • Film, Video
    Keeping up with the Joneses. [Women's styles]
    Women's styles | Keeping up with the Joneses.     A domestic comedy about the McGinis family--husband Aloysius, wife Clarice, daughter Julie, and housemaid Belladonna. The simple story lines often parody society's concern with material goods as an indicator of social standing, but the series was not as narrowly focused as the title implies. The Joneses were the McGinis's neighbors, but were not depicted. They were referred to as objects of envy, with whom...
    • Contributor: Momand, Arthur R. - Gaumont Co. - Palmer, H. S. (Harry S.) - Afi/Zouary (Maurice) Collection (Library of Congress) - Mutual Film Corporation
    • Date: 1915
  • Film, Video
    Keeping up with the Joneses. [Men's styles]
    Men's styles | Keeping up with the Joneses.     A domestic comedy about the McGinis family--husband Aloysius, wife Clarice, daughter Julie, and housemaid Belladonna. The simple story lines often parody society's concern with material goods as an indicator of social standing, but the series was not as narrowly focused as the title implies. The Joneses were the McGinis's neighbors, but were not depicted. They were referred to as objects of envy, with whom...
    • Contributor: Momand, Arthur R. - Gaumont Co. - Palmer, H. S. (Harry S.) - Afi/Zouary (Maurice) Collection (Library of Congress) - Mutual Film Corporation
    • Date: 1915
  • Film, Video
    [The centaurs--excerpts]
    Fragments from The centaurs     A half human-half horse boy and girl meet and fall in love. They have a baby and go home to their parents for a happy reunion.
    • Contributor: McCay, John - McCay, Winsor - Afi/Cinémathèque Canadienne Collection (Library of Congress) - Rialto Productions - Fitzsimmons, John A.
    • Date: 1921
  • Film, Video
    [Gertie on tour--excerpts]
    Fragments from Gertie on tour     Gertie is a dinosaur who lives in present times. She encounters a train and dreams of being the life of the party in her time.
    • Contributor: McCay, John - McCay, Winsor - Afi/Cinémathèque Canadienne Collection (Library of Congress) - Rialto Productions - Fitzsimmons, John A.
    • Date: 1921
  • Film, Video
    Dreamy Dud--he resolves not to smoke
    He resolves not to smoke | Dreamy Dud resolves not to smoke     Dreamy Dud steals a man's pipe because he is fascinated with smoking and blowing smoke rings. He smokes the pipe and the smoke turns into a ghost and carries him up to the moon and leaves him. Dud falls off the moon and down to earth. He wakes up on the floor of his room and resolves never to smoke.
    • Contributor: General Film Company - Afi/Edell (Frederick) Collection (Library of Congress) - Essanay Film Manufacturing Co. - Carlson, Wallace
    • Date: 1915
  • Film, Video
    Bobby Bumps starts a lodge
    Paramount-Bray Cartoon, no. 39, Bobby Bumps starts a lodge     Bobby Bumps plays a trick on his friend who wants to be initiated into his lodge. When his friend outsmarts him and saves his life, they both agree to be initiated into the lodge together.
    • Contributor: Afi/Atkinson (Dennis) Collection (Library of Congress) - Bray Studios - Hurd, Earl
    • Date: 1916
  • Film, Video
    Policy and pie
    Policy & pie | Katzenjammer Kids: "Policy and pie" | Original Katzenjammer Kids in policy and pie     The Captain gets a life insurance policy and gives it to his wife. In gratitude she makes him a pie. The Katzenjammer Kids play a trick on the Captain and sneak toads into his pie so that he would think his wife is trying to poison him.
    • Contributor: Afi/Souder (Thomas) Collection (Library of Congress) - La Cava, Gregory - International Film Service
    • Date: 1918
  • Film, Video
    The first circus
    Tony Sarg's almanac: "The first circus"     During the stone-age the Stonehenge Circus entertained cavemen and women. The circus had a dinosaur that doubled as a trampoline and tightrope for the acrobats.
    • Contributor: Rialto Productions - Afi/Uhl (Clement) Collection (Library of Congress) - Herbert M. Dawley Productions - Dawley, Herbert M. - Sarg, Tony
    • Date: 1921
  • Film, Video
    Mary & Gretel
    Mary and Gretel     "Alice in Wonderland meets the Garden of Eden in this surreal fable of a drunk rabbit, bowling dwarfs, and the two bewildered girls of the title"--Origins of American animation 1900-1921 notes. "Mary & Gretel explore the forest and come across Rip Van Winkle, drunken woodsmen, and a bunny. They pluck magic flowers and a fairy appears and sends them home"--Silent animated films at the...
    • Contributor: Moss, Howard S. - Afi/Ashton (James) Collection (Library of Congress) - Peter Pan Film Corp - Toyland Films
    • Date: 1917
  • Film, Video
    Krazy Kat and Ignatz Mouse at the circus An animated cartoon about the adventures of Krazy Kat and Ignatz Mouse at the circus, where they demonstrate their courage to each other by attempting to scare a woman.
    • Contributor: Searl, Leon A. - Herriman, George - International Film Service - Ernst (Louise) Collection (Library of Congress)
    • Date: 1916
  • Film, Video
    Krazy Kat, bugologist While in the woods studying bugs, Krazy Kat and Ignatz Mouse encounter a sleeping bee and an angry elephant.
    • Contributor: Searl, Leon A. - Herriman, George - International Film Service - Ernst (Louise) Collection (Library of Congress)
    • Date: 1916
  • Film, Video
    Krazy Kat goes a-wooing Krazy Kat's serenade outside the window of Ignatz Mouse meets with a barrage of bricks.
    • Contributor: Searl, Leon A. - Herriman, George - International Film Service - Ernst (Louise) Collection (Library of Congress)
    • Date: 1916
  • Film, Video
    Mr. Nobody Holme--he buys a jitney
    He buys a jitney | Mr. Nobody Holme in He buys a jitney | Mr. Nobody Holme buys a jitney | Mister Nobody Holme, he buys a jitney     An animated cartoon about Mr. Nobody Holme, who warms up his sluggish automobile with the assistance of a stick of dynamite.
    • Contributor: Searl, Leon A. - Powers, Tom E. - Ernst (Louise) Collection (Library of Congress) - International Film Service
    • Date: 1916
  • Film, Video
    Never again! The story of a speeder cop
    Never again | Story of a speeder cop     An animated cartoon about an ineffectual policeman (Officer Heeler) who quits the force after a losing battle against speeders.
    • Contributor: Barré, Raoul - Powers, Tom E. - Ernst (Louise) Collection (Library of Congress) - International Film Service
    • Date: 1916
  • Film, Video
    The phable of a busted romance
    Fable of a busted romance     An animated cartoon about a workman who recovers and returns Miss Gotrox's lost purse containing 10,000 dollars, and receives a Canadian dime as a reward.
    • Contributor: Barré, Raoul - Powers, Tom E. - Ernst (Louise) Collection (Library of Congress) - International Film Service
    • Date: 1916
  • Film, Video
    The phable of the phat woman
    Phable of a phat woman | Fable of the fat woman     An animated cartoon about a fat lady who attempts unsuccessfully to lose weight.
    • Contributor: Barré, Raoul - Powers, Tom E. - Ernst (Louise) Collection (Library of Congress) - International Film Service
    • Date: 1916
  • Film, Video
    The dinosaur and the missing link, a prehistoric tragedy
    Prehistoric tragedy     Uses clay animation to tell a story of prehistoric times. Three suitors, named the Duke, Stonejaw Steve, and Theophilus Ivoryhead, compete for the hand of Miss Araminta Rockface. Ivoryhead, an unassuming weakling, wins her hand when the others mistakenly believe that he has killed a large ape which was actually felled by a dinosaur.
    • Contributor: Thomas A. Edison, Inc - K.E.S.E. (Firm) - O'Brien, Willis - Kleine (George) Collection (Library of Congress)
    • Date: 1917
  • Film, Video
    W.S.S. Thriftettes
    W.S.S. Thriftettes, save and buy | W.S.S Thriftettes war bond drive | WSS Thriftettes | War savings stamps Thriftettes     A promotion for war savings stamps, reputed here to help confine Germany's Kaiser to a circus cage.
    • Contributor: Bdf Films (Firm) - Felton, Paul M. - Miscellaneous Collection (Library of Congress) - Felton Art Studio
    • Date: 1918
  • Film, Video
    The enchanted drawing "Upon a large sheet of white paper a cartoonist is seen at work rapidly sketching the portrait of an elderly gentleman of most comical feature and expression. After completing the likeness the artist rapidly draws on the paper a clever sketch of a bottle of wine and a goblet, and then, to the surprise of all, actually removes them from the paper on which...
    • Contributor: Smith, Albert E. (Albert Edward) - Blackton, James Stuart - Niver (Kemp) Collection (Library of Congress) - Vitagraph Company of America - Thomas A. Edison, Inc - Paper Print Collection (Library of Congress)
    • Date: 1900
  • Film, Video
    Fun in a bakery shop The set is of the interior of a bakery. A man in a baker's hat and costume enters and begins kneading some dough on a table by the oven. He notices a make-believe rat crawling up the side of a nearby barrel and throws the dough at the rat, covering it completely. He then goes over to the dough and begins to pummel it...
    • Contributor: Thomas A. Edison, Inc - Paper Print Collection (Library of Congress) - Porter, Edwin S.
    • Date: 1902
  • Film, Video
    Humorous phases of funny faces J. Stuart Blackton "draws" a series of funny faces, including a line drawing of two faces, a man with an umbrella, a line drawing of two faces in profile, and a clown.
    • Contributor: Afi/Blackton (J. Stuart) Collection (Library of Congress) - Vitagraph Company of America - Blackton, James Stuart
    • Date: 1906
  • Collection
    Origins of American Animation The development of early American animation is represented by this collection of 21 animated films and 2 fragments, which spans the years 1900 to 1921. The films include clay, puppet, and cut-out animation, as well as pen drawings. They point to a connection between newspaper comic strips and early animated films, as represented by Keeping Up With the Joneses, Krazy Kat, and The Katzenjammer...
    • Contributor: Library of Congress. National Digital Library Program - Library of Congress. Motion Picture, Broadcasting, and Recorded Sound Division
    • Date: 1999

    Collection Items: View 29 Items

  • Web Page
    Digitizing the Collection The films included in Origins of American Animation were taken from several collections in the Motion Picture, Broadcasting and Recorded Sound Division. These include the Paper Print, American Film Institute/J. Stuart Blackton, A.F.I./Maurice Zouary, A.F.I./Frederick Edell, A.F.I./George Marshall, A.F.I./Dennis Atkinson, A.F.I./James Ashton, A.F.I./Rhode Island Historical Society, A.F.I./Thomas Souder, A.F.I./Bernard Uhl, Louise Ernst, George Kleine, and Cinémathèque Québécoise Collections. These films were previously released in...