Défilé de policemen

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Défilé de policemen

LUM 1897-01


Chicago Police on Parade

This model police force as shown parading down MIchigan Avenue. They march eighteen abreast, and in their neat uniform, helmet and with baton, make a smart appearance. The men are almost equally tall and well-proportioned, measuring six feet or over in height.

MB 1898

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1 Lumière 336 (AS 182) Maguire & Baucus 1336
2 Alexandre Promio  
 

PICTURE MAN LOOSE
Cinematographe Expert Proceeds to Perpetuate Chicago
POLICE FORCE IS TAKEN
City’s Bluecoats Marshaled Before the Camera
Department Store and Representative Streets Yield Negatives for the Wonderful Machine
Chicago’s police department was massed on the Lake Front, in dark blue lines of sturdy manhood. Like one man the force gazed sternly to the front, and a frown of sturdy determination clouded its brow.
Ten lieutenants dashed hither and thither, now poking an integral element into an upright position, now straightening a wavering line of blue coats by the crude expedient of strapping heavily on feet that projected too far in front of the formation.
Like a thunder cloud the array blackened the Lake Front with threatening portent of wars and riots, and chance passers-by stood with beating hearts and fearful countenances, wondering what great and unknown evil so menaced the city as to call forth these preparations.
“Phwat is ut, in hivin’s name?” asked a cab driver as he pulled his panting steed up short and turned to a messenger boy, who, breathless from haste, had taken up a position of advantage upon a corner lamp post.
“Dey say dat de anarchies is loose,” tersely responded the youth, “and dat de police is leavin’ de city.”
“May the saints presarve us!” retorted the cabman, in tones that reached the ears of the first three lines of officers. “Annyway, I do not belave ut. They would not be enough uv thim left to march out.”
And with such irreverent jests and derogatory insinuations the concourse viewed the impressive display of Chicago’s noble defenders. And the worst of it was that the police were absolutely helpless. They dared not raise their eyes and mark out their detractors for future punishment; they dared not even awear, but the cloud of gloom on each manly brow grew blacker and blacker, until it boded no good for the first offender that came into the bands of the law.
Then there might have been heard the mutter of orders passing from rank to rank, and the tramp of 600 of the largest feet in Chicago woke the echoes along Michigan avenue, until even the workers on the distant government breakwater paused in alarm and wondered what sky-scraper had fallen.
But the police were not going to war. They were simply going through the motions and having their pictures taken. First they marched a block, that the men might get into rhythmic step. Some of the men did this, and some did not, being probably too anxious about the fit of their now winter clothes.
Then they defiled past the camera four abreast, each officer trying to look as if he were chief of police and had the whole responsibility for the peace of Chicago on his shoulders. The next time they marched up in company front, with Assistant Chief Ross and Inspector Shea bringing up the rear of the column, and the little machine that furnishes the material for the cinematographe at the Schiller took some 5,000 photographs of these at the rate of 1,800 a minute.
Will Be Ready in a Month
In about a month the necessary developing and reproducing will be finished and in every large city in the world Chicago’s finest, will march from the shadow depths or the stage up to the footlights and past the applauding audience as they marched up Michigan avenue today.
The arrangements for taking the exposures were in charge of M. Alexandre Peornio, a celebrated French photographer, who unfortunately has not yet found time to master the English language. At the close of the Lake Front performance today, Assistant Chief Ross stepped up to the camera to make a few inquiries as to the process. M. Peornio caught sight of him first and, recognizing an official high in government circles, doffed his hat in the inimitable French style and bowed almost to the ground, at the same time telling in a flood of French phrases how much he appreciated the courtesy shown him.
Ross was surprised. He was also at a loss to comprehend the compliments that were being showered on him, and before he recovered, Peornio had bowed again and retreated. It was noticed that the French method of saluting had made a favorable impression on the assistant chief, and later in the day it was extensively practiced by lieutenants and patrolmen in the recesses of the armory. If French politeness is to be inculcated in the Chicago police force, truly M. Peornio’s visit has not been in vain.
Sixteen other scenes of Chicago life were perpetuated for the benefit of foreign audiences. The fire department was caught on the run up Michigan avenue in the morning, and three different sets of views were taken as the engines and carts dashed past. State street, Clark street, and Dearborn street will be thrown on the canvas screen in London, Paris, Vienna, and fifty other of the largest cities of the old world.
The Ferris wheel in motion, Lincoln Park with children playing, and a crowd of shoppers entering one of the largest department stores, all yielded material for the cinematographe.
It was hoped that a group of American athletes engaged in mauling each other’s anatomy might also be sent to the effects civilization of the old world that they might see and wonder at our harmless methods of taking recreation, and arrangements had been made for carrying the instrument to the athletic field of the University of Chicago for Captain Roby’s athletes to show the world how they play football, but a hitch occurred and the intention was not carried out.
The views will be ready in about a month and will be displayed at the Schiller Theater at the same time they are shown in London and Paris.


Into Ocean, Chicago, 20 septembre 1896, p. 20.

 
The Cinematographe. —M. Promio, a photographer in the employ of Lumiere, the French scientist and inventor, was in Chicago recenltj and obtained some excellent " moving pictures " of everyday scenes there abouts. He obtained twenty-four series of photographs, representing the busy movement of shoppers in State street, the fire department making a quick run, the police of the 1st precinct turning out for a parade, and so on. He had to take between 2,000 and 3,000 negatives for each picture. The negatives will be sent to Lyons, France, to be developed and prepared for use in the "cinematographe," the marvelous device which is now an attraction at a Chicago theatre.
American Amateur Photographer, Chicago, vol. 8, nº 10, october 1896, p. 440.
 

Je quittai New York pour Chicago, sans dire à qui que ce fût ma nouvelle destination. Or, à peine étais-je installé à l’Auditorium Hôtel de Chicago, qu’on me passait la carte de deux journalistes… Je rendis visite au fonctionnaire qui, à Chicago, remplit des fonctions analogues à celle du préfet de police de Paris. Je lui demandai l’autorisation de prendre quelques vues animées des policemen et des pompiers de cette ville. Il fit d’abord la sourde oreille ; mais quand je lui expliquai qu’il s’agissait du cinéma Lumière et que les bandes que je voulais prendre seraient projetées dans le monde entier, concurremment avec les vues des policemen de Londres, des pompiers de Belfast, et de Paris, sa figure se détendit et il me donna rendez-vous pour le lendemain. À l’heure convenue, quel ne fut pas mon étonnement de trouver, rassemblés dans Michigan-Avenue, plus de 5.000 policemen et pompiers que je fis défiler comme je voulus, en tenues différentes et à l’allure que j’indiquai. Le directeur du théâtre où se faisaient les projections de nos vues m’adressa une invitation accompagnée d’un coupon de loge pour que j’assistasse à la soirée. J’acceptai, et le soir je me rendis au spectacle où une loge entière du rez-de-chaussée m’était réservée. Les numéros du programme se poursuivirent sans incident, puis vint le tour du cinéma. Comme en Angleterre, les vues étaient présentées par un speaker. J’appris plus tard que, ce soir-là, c’était le directeur en personne qui s’était chargé de ce soin. Or, entre la quatrième et la cinquième vue, il prit la parole en ces termes : « Mesdames et Messieurs, le représentant de MM. Lumière, les illustres inventeurs du cinématographe, vient d’arriver dans notre ville et je me fais un agréable devoir de vous le présenter. » Un coup de timbre, l’obscurité se fit et, sans que j’eusse le temps de faire un geste, je me trouvai violemment éclairé par un projecteur placé aux galeries et dont les rayons lumineux avaient été réglés d’avance sur la place qu’on m’avait assignée. Et de partout les applaudissements éclatèrent.


G.-M. Coissac, Histoire du Cinématographe, Paris, Cinéopse/Gauthier-Villars, 1925, p. 198-199.

3 11/09/1896-20/09/1896 17 m
4 États-Unis, Chicago, Michigan Avenue  

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16/12/1896 FranceLyon, Photo-Club Cinématographe Lumière  Série de vues américaines
20/12/1896 États-Unis, Philadelphie, 1104 Chestnut street Cinématographe Lumière  The Chicago police force on parade
20/12/1896 États-UnisChicago, Schiller Theatre Cinématographe Lumière The Chicago police force on parade on Michigan avenue
03/01/1897 FranceLyon
Cinématographe Lumière  Chicago : défilé de Policemen
08/01/1897 FranceMarseille Cinématographe Lumière  Défilé de policemen
18/03/1897  États-UnisNew York, Proctor's Pleasure Palace Cinématographe Lumière The Chicago police parade
31/12/1897 MexiqueMexico Salvador Toscano  Desfile de policía en Chicago
21/08/1898 MexiqueMorelia Édouard Hervet
Desfile de policemen en Chicago
01/10/1898 France, Paris, Casino de Paris The Royal Biograph Les policemen à Chicago
28/01/1900 Cuba, La Havane Édouard Hervet Vista de policía en Chicago

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