Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-06-13

uninterrupted passage Of film
through the protector.
Following this are several
exhibits showing how synchr0-
nized sound came to be added
to the movies. We ind. oddly
enough, that sound on f1lm was
in being before the first widely
used photograph record-nlm
synchronization was adopted
by the fllm industry.
We are shown that in A001
RUNNER discovered q way to-
convert sound vibrations into
light values. Sound was re-
corded photographically Is
changing luminosity values
and could be reconstructed
from its light image on cellu-
loid Aim. But RUNNER was not
interested in cinematography
and his discovery was to wait
several years before being ap-
piled to the motion picture BY
another. About 1908 Edison
devised o synchronizer that
kept film in step with sound
recorded on o photograph rec.
ord. This machine, which r.
to be seen, was not very sue
cessful because Of the loud
scratching Of the photograph
needle and the weakness Of
the sound volume. but UNI
doubtedly helped influence the
Aim industry In its later deci.
sion to adopt this method Of
sound recording.
VitophOns System
Difficulties in effective syn
chronization kept the record
fllm method from being used
until 1926 when the Western
Electric Co. developed the we'll
known Vitaphone system.
Both record and film bore
start marks and were started
simultaneously and sound-pic-
ture synchronization was
achieved. In that year Warner
Bros. presented don Juan" .
picture that featured musical
accompaniment. In 1927 War
ners released "The jazz
Singer" that carried the first
line Of dialogue and followed
in 1923 with Lights Of New
York. the first all-talking
feature. Technical difficulties
caused this system to give way
eventually to the sound ION
fllm method. The original
Vitaphone turntabIe is fea-
tured in one Of the exhibits.
We have to turn back the
pages Of history from this
point to find the first success
full sound-on-film method.
This was devised by Eugene
Lauste, whose camera rec
order, projecting machines.
and allied devices are dis
played.
In 1905 Lauste. using the
method Of RUNNER for receiv- !
ing sound on film In terms Of
light values. produced a cam !
era and projecting equipment
and actually made q number
Of sound-on-f1lm movies but
was unable to promote his
method because Of financial
difficulties.
However, he was proved
right in the end when the mo-
ton picture industry turned
to the more practical way Of
making a talking motion pic
ture.
The final exhibit on the his
tory Of the cinema shows a
number of the latest models of
both camera and projection
equipment in 16 and 8 nm.
Relation to Arts, Sciences
Supplementing the historic
cal exhibits are several others
that show the APPLICATIONS Of
photography to the arts and
sciences. Here are to be found,
for example, pictures showing
how photography has become
a tool Of the research scientist
in various fields OF investiga-
ton ranging from microscopic
studies in biology to problems
in physics involving almost in
finitesimal time intervals.
Among the scientific photo
graphs are those showing how
photography is used to study
the effects of explosions; how
it is employed in medical re-
search to make comparative.
studies of normal and malig-'
nant cells, and how industry
utilities photography to study
the gas flow pattern within the
boiler Of a steam locomotive.
In the field of art photog-
raphy the Smithsonian excels
with one Of the most compre-
hensive collections of prints in
the world covering q period
from 1910 to the present. The
national print collection in
cludes prints by all Of the
known Photographic processes
made by such renowned art
lists as Steiglitz, Cameron.
Steichen. Echague. Bodine,
Amman, Alenius, Weston, Petro-
celli, Eickemeyer and scores Of
others. Selected examples are
shown here in the section Of
photographs exhibition area.
The Smithsonian Institution
was one of the first major
art centers to recognize the
Importance Of photography as
an art medium and has for
many years encouraged the
creative worker by regularly
presenting one-man shows
and other collections Of con-
temporary photography. At