2

Les origines (1856-1895)

recensement de 1860 (Wilkes Barre)

recensement de 1880 (Wilkes Barre)

Lyman H. Howe's Phonograph Entertainment. ([1894])
Source: Antique Phonograph Society Forum

L'animotiscope (1896-1906)

Lyman H. Howe va faire connaître son appareil cinématographique, l'animotiscope, à Wilkes Barre, sa ville natale, en décembre 1896.

THE ANIMOSTISCOPE
This Wonderful Instrument to Be Exhibited at the First Congregatinoal Church-One of the Scenes That Will Be Presented.
Prof. Howe, who gave two exhibitions in this city, last year, with his phonograph, has arranged to give an exhibition of the animotiscope under the auspices of the Y.P.S.C.E. of the First Congregational Church, in the auditorium of that church on Dec. 10th.
The animostiscope is an instrument by which instantaneous photographs are thrown on an immense screen, life size, so rapidly (several hundred per minute) that it seems as if the audience was looking on the actual scene depicted. This instrument has been on exhibition in New York city for the past few months and is the greatest wonder of the age. This is the first opportunity offered a Middletown audience to see one of the greatest inventions of man. About twelve scenes will be given during the evening. One of them is briefly described as follows: "Suddenly the house is darkened and before the eyes of the audience a huge window appears to open. Through it they see an exquisite bit of summer landscape. In the foreground runs a brook, spanned by an old wooden bridge. Below the bridge is a pool. A high breeze is stirring, for the boughs of the trees overhanging the pool, are actually swaying too and fro and the surface of the water is covered with little ripples.
"A fisherman appears carrying his tackle. He gets a long plank and lays it upon the bridge with one end projecting over the pool and on the other end places a large stone to balance it. He then clambers out on the projection thus formed and seating himself proceeds to bait his hook and east his line. He is smoking. The blue wreaths are seen to curl upwards from his pipe. A carriage containing several ladies passes by, he courteously raises his hat in answer to their salutation and once more resumes his fishing with rapt attention. From behind another figure approaches. It is the practical joker. On tiptoe he steals toward the unexpecting fishermen. Quickly he seizes the stone and rolls it from the plank. With a tremendous spash the victim falls into the pool, flounders wildly about for a few moments, and then emerges a sorry spectacle in hot pursuit of his tormenter. His broad brimmed hat and the plank are last seen floating down the stream. In a twinkle the whole scene disappears, the room is again lighted and before the audience, remains only the blank screen on which the scene wa projected."Middletown Daily Argus, Middletown, jeudi 19 novembre 1896, p. 8. 

La presse local va offrir une description globale de ce qui apparaît comme une version personnelle de modèles préexistants :

A Coming Event.
On Friday evening next will be the first public exhibition of Lyman H. Howe's new marvel, the animotiscope. This is the latest machine for reproducing animated living scenes from real life with all their varied movements and activity. Although the machine is a New York invention, our townsman, Mr. Howe, has added many improvements and overcome the bad features and defects so noticeable in other machines of this kind. Its work is now most astonishing, and will reproduce a steady, lifelike picture of animated life and objects in motion that it will be hard for the beholder to realize that the scene reproduced is not an actual reality.
The phonograph will be used in conjunction with it, and what the animotiscope conveys to sight the phonograph will do to the ear.
The first exhibition will be given in Y.M.C.A. hall on Friday evening. Dec. 4, under the auspices of the Bible Study Club of the First Baptist Church of this city.The Times Leader, Wilke-Barre, samedi 28 novembre 1896, p. 9.

REprendre 14 janvier 1897 (Newspapers)

recensement 1900: Wilkes Barre

Lyman H. Howe's High Class Moving Pictures (c. 1898)
Source: Library of Congress

THE SIEGE OF PORT ARTHUR. The siege and defence of Port Arthur. with its subsequent surrender, has thrilled the whole world. No siege in ancient, medieval or modern times has exceeded in intensity of earnestness either that of the besieger or besieged. It is the living history of this historical struggle that Lyman H. Howe will present in Tremont temple Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Mr Howe is the first exhibitor of these memorable moving pictures in America. They are positively exclusive and as they are authentic, the enormous expense entailing a 19.000-mile journey through Russia, Siberia. and Manchuria must be apparent. Furthermore, they represent many months of severe hardships, the greateat endurance and many narrow escapes.The Boston Globe, Boston, dimanche 24 septembre 1905, p. 37.

The Boston Globe, Boston, samedi 30 septembre 1905, p. 11.

Lyman Howe Dead; His Travel Pictures Always Popular Here
Lyman H. Howe, of Wilkes-Barre, Pa., one of the pioneers of the motion picture industry who for 20 years headed several companies which made a specialty of producing travel pictures, died a few days ago in Boston, Mass., where he had been suffering from heart disease for six months past. Mr. Howe discontinued his connection with the business 16 years ago and since that time had lived a retired life. His pictures have been frequently shown at the Lyceum Theater in this city, and proved popular long before the more recent development of the motion picture industry.
Mr. Howe will ever be remembered by the inhabitants of the hundreds of cities and towns where his pictures were shown regularly once or twice each year. The companies sent men to all sections of the globe to take these pictures, that were entertaining and at the same time educational.
Mr. Howe was for years president of the Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Commerce. His home, on Riverside drive, is one of the most beautiful in the city.
The only surviving members of the family are Mr. Howe's wife and one son, Harold.The Ithaca Journal, Ithaca, jeudi 8 février 1923, p. 5.

Et après... (1907-1923)

recensement en 1910 (Wilkes Barre)

Lyman H. Howe Presents the U.S. Navy of 1915. Source: SilenCinema.com

Lyman H. Howe et Marie, Alice Koehler [D.R.]

dépôt d'un brevet pour "apparatus for winding motion picture films" (application 29 novembre 1916). Patented 29 avril 1919: nº 1301849

recensement en 1920 (Wilkes Barre)

Lyman H. Howe (1856-1923)
Oak Lawn Cemetery and Mausoleum

Sources

MUSSER Charles (en collaboration avec Carol Nelson). High-Class Moving Pictures: Lyman H. Howe and the Forgotten Era of Traveling Exhibition, 1880-1920. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1991, 372 p.

3

4