Prize Fight (Griffo and Barnett)

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The World, New York, 26 mai 1895
"Thirteeen photographs taken in a Third of a Minute Showing Referee White in the Act of Sitting Down."
Montage réalisé á partir de treize dessins
© 2019, Jean-Claude Seguin

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Prize Fight (Griffo and Barnett)

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1 Lambda Company  
2 Otway Latham Young Griffo, Charles Barnett 
 
REPRODUCED THE FIGHT.
CONTINUOUS PICTURES OF THE GRIFFO-BARNETT ENCOUNTER
They Were Taken by a Machine Which Is Operated on the Same Principle as the Kinetoscope, but Said to Be Simpler
The first proofs of the photographs of the boxing exhibition between Young Griffo and Charles Barnett, which took place on the Madison square garden roof las Saturday morning, have been developed and have proved successful. Thirty-two thousand of them were taken during the fight by the aid of an electric photographing apparatus, on the same principal as Edison’s kinetoscope, but invented by Woodville Latham of Virginia. The apparatus has not been named, but in appearance is much like the kinetoscope, in a simplified form. The inventor claims for it a vast superiority over Mr. Edison’s invention in that it takes from fifty to sixty impressions per second to the kinetoscope’s forty, and 2,000 feet of film can be used in place of the 140 used in Edison’s invention. The film is arranged upon rolls, and is snapped forward by the electrical device at the rate of from fifty to sixty snaps per second. At each snap the shutter covering the lens is opened and closed and instantaneous reproductions of the subjects are taken at each snap. The accompanying cut represents the attitudes of the chief actors during about one-tenth of a second and third round. In the lower left hand corner is Barnett, with his handlers at work on him, one rubbing and the other fanning him with a towel. In the upper right hand corner is Griffo, with his handler, fanning him with a towel. In the center of the ring the referee is standing, waiting for the bell to sound, which will call the contestants up for the third round.
Otway Latham, who worked the machine during the trial, is very much pleased with the result of the experiment and is of the opinion that the invention will be of inestimable value to the scientific world, as it can be moved from place to place easily and thus reproduce minutely many things which it would be impossible to get with any other known method of photography. He proposes to photograph a horse race as soon as the season opens, either at Sheeps-head Bay or the Gravesend track. As soon as complete photographs can be made and mounted it is proposed to reproduce the fight in an apparatus which shall perform the same functions as the reproducing box of the kinetoscope.
The Brookyn Daily Eagle, Wednesday 8 May 1895, p. 4.
3 04/05/1895  12 min
 

GRIFFO IMMORTALIZED.
Foug'ht Before an Improved Kinetoscope Yesterday in New York.
Under contract with Otway Latham of Virginia, who has invented a photographic apparatus, which, he claims, is vastly superior to Edison’s kinetoscope, as that the latter can only photograph on 140 feet of film, while the former can cover 1.000 feet, and is also much more rapid. Young Griffo met and defeated Charles Barnett in a four round glove contest yesterday morning. Each round was of one and one-half minute’s duration, and the intermissions were half a minute, making in all eight minutes of action, each second of which was truly recorded by the photographic machine and will be exhibited later, in a reproducer, somewhat resembling the kinetoscope show box.
The boxing bout took place on the roof of the Madison Square garden, just behind the bicycle school, and was witnessed by a select party of guests, who of course were immensely gratified by the show they were witnessing for nothing.
At 11 o’clock the improvised ring, apparatus and pugilists were ready, and a few minutes later Referee Charles White told the men to shake hands, Timekeeper Charles Dowling called time and the photograph man pressed the button.
Barnett weighed about 130 pounds, and looked to be in the best of condition, while Griffo, although slightly heavier, was fat, and in the worst possible shape. The first round brought out some good work on both sides, Barnette striving hard to get at his opponent, but being cleverly blocked at almost every lead, Griffo countering with his well known left jabs on the nose, and an occasional right swing. In the second round Griffo, in spite of his poor condition, made things decidedly warm for Barnett. He led with his left, and as Barnette dodged caught him with a right hand half arm upper cut. This he repeated twice, much to Barnett’s disgust.
The third round. Griffo chased his man all around the ring, landing when and where he pleased, and becoming so careless toward the end, that he received some punishment. The fourth and last round demonstrated his ability to knock Barnett out, or off the roof, or anywhere else he pleased, and when time was called the latter had had all the fighting he cured for Mr. Latham said his apparatus worked well, and that the experiment would be a success. In the near future Griffo will be able to look at himself and see how he does it.


The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, New York, Sunday 5 May 1895, p. 5.

4 États-UnisNew York  

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29/01/1896 États-UnisRochester D. C. Porter A Boxing Match
20/06/1896 États-UnisBoston eidoloscope  

Prize Fight (Griffo and Barnett)

04/07/1896 États-UnisAtlantic City  eidoloscope  A Hot Contest etween Two Well-known Pugilists

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"A broadside promoting Latham's eidoloscope"
MUSSER Charles, The Emergence of cinema, The American Screen to 1907, New York, Charles Scribner's Sons, 1990, p. 98
© New York Historical Society

 

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