Science Museum Group | Details | Archive of William Friese-Greene and Claude Friese-Greene

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Actions	Archive of William Friese-Greene and Claude Friese-Greene Remove from selection Add to selection TitleArchive of William Friese-Greene and Claude Friese-Greene ReferenceFRI CreatorFriese-Greene, William William Friese-Greene was a British photographer, chemist and maverick inventor spanning both the Victorian and Edwardian era and credited, by some, as the inventor of cinematography (the recording of photographic images for use in cinema or the use of a film camera to take pictures). He constructed a series of proto-type cameras and pioneered the motion picture camera (patent 10131 – June 1889) in addition to stereoscopic and colour cinematography. Born in 1855 in Bristol he went to Queen Elizabeth’s Hospital School. After serving an apprenticeship to the portrait photographer, Maurice Guttenberg, he set his own studio in Bath and later in Bristol, London and Brighton. In 1874 he married Helena Friese. Whilst in Bath he met John Arthur Roebuck Rudge (1837-1903), a maker of magic lanterns. He showed Friese-Greene his ‘Biophantic Lantern’ which was a device that could show seven glass slides in rapid succession thereby giving the illusion of movement. Working together they improved the ‘Biophantic Lantern’ so that it could project photographic plates and created the ‘Biophantascope’. But Friese-Greene realised the limitations of glass plates and began experimenting with celluloid material for motion pictures. In June 1889 Friese-Greene was issued patent 10131 for an 'improved apparatus for taking photographs in rapid series' this was his ‘Chronophotographic Camera’ which was able to take up to 10 photographs per second using a perforated celluloid film. However because of the cameras’ low frame rate and unreliability the camera wasn’t a commercial success. Later he went onto experiment stereoscopic cameras but again success eluded him. His experimenting and lack of commercial success made him bankrupt in 1891. His businesses often suffered as a result the time he devoted to his experiments in cinematography and with his other inventions. He married his first wife Victoria Marina H. Friese in March 1874, and his second wife Edith Jane Harrison in January 1897. Friese-Greene went onto experiment with colour photography and its application to motion pictures. His system was called ‘Biocolour’ which was a process the created the illusion of true colour by exposing each alternate frame of ordinary black and white film through two different coloured filters. Each alternate monochrome frame was then stained red or green. However, again the process encountered technical problems. Although it gave a tolerable illusion of true colour it did suffer from a bad flickering effect and red and green fringing when the subject was in rapid motion. A rival system to Biocolour called Kinemacolour was invented by George Albert Smith (1864 – 1959) and Charles Urban (1867 – 1942) who took Friese-Greene to court claiming that any colour film was an infringement of their earlier patent. Friese-Greene claimed that Smith’s and Urban’s patent didn’t contain enough detail to encompass the Biocolour process. The judge ruled in Urbans’ favour but upon appeal in the House of Lords in 1914 overturned the decision. But due to on-going technical and financial problems Friese-Greene was never able to exploit the process. It would be his son Claude who would go on to develop the Biocolour process. William Friese-Greene died on May 5th 1921 whilst attending a film and cinema meeting at the Connaught Rooms, Kingsway in London. He is buried in Highgate Cemetery, London. Friese-Greene, Claude Claude Friese-Greene was a pioneering filmmaker and distinguished cinematographer born on May 3rd 1898 in Fulham, London. He continued to develop the Biocolour film process pioneered by his father, William. He renamed the process ‘Friese-Greene Natural Colour Process’. Between the years 1923 and 1943 Claude worked on numerous films (more than 60). After leaving school at 14 he helped his father develop the ‘Biocolour’ two-colour process. Claude joined the army in 1915, saw action in World War One spending time in France, fighting at the Battle of the Somme and was wounded. In 1917 became a pilot in the Royal Flying Corps and achieved the rank of 2nd Lieutenant. After the war Claude worked as a commercial pilot and given his experience with film he worked as technical manager for Aerofilms a company that pioneered aerial photography. Films he produced at this time include ‘Across England in an Aeroplane’ in which he tried to add colour by tinting the film. He married Chrissie Barnes and had to sons Peter and Tony. After his father’s death Claude continued the pioneering work of his father and tried to perfect the colour film process. The Open Road (1926), filmed over three years showing the journey from Lands End to John O’Groats, was a series of short films in pioneering colour. Using a colour system that was, in theory, available to all cinemas worldwide. He tried to sell his colour process in America and on the Continent. The attempt to perfect moving pictures in colour was an obsession of the Friese-Greene family. Claude Friese-Greene died in 1943. Date 1897-1980 Scope and ContentThis family collection spanning the work of William Friese-Green and his son Claude Friese-Greene constitutes a potted history of the British film industry from it's pre-commercial era, through the development of colour to studio production from 1920 until the 1950s. The collection contains a mixture of primary and secondary material covering William Friese-Greene's pioneering cinematographic and colour cinematographic work as well as his son's career within the British film industry. It includes objects and equipment (particularly cameras and stereoscopic viewers), family scrap books, film samples, letters and plans, photographic albums, patent applications and specifications, film stills, publicity materials, press cuttings, films and research. ExtentNine archive boxes containing approximately 730 individual components. LanguageEnglish Archival historyPart of this archive was transferred to the National Media Museum in 1994 by descendants of William and Claude Friese-Greene. Levelfonds Repository nameNational Science and Media Museum, Bradford SubjectCinema, Film cameras, Film industry, Colour film, Cinematography., Film making Conditions governing accessAccess is given in accordance with the NMeM access policy. Material from this collection is available to researchers through the museum’s Insight facility. Conditions governing ReproductionCopies may be supplied of items in the collection, provided that the copying process used does not damage the item or is not detrimental to its preservation. Copies will be supplied in accordance with the NMeM’s terms and conditions for the supply and reproduction of copies, and the provisions of any relevant copyright legislation. System of arrangementThis collection is currently undergoing cataloguing and a system of arrangement is still being established - this field will be updated at a later date.

TitleArchive of William Friese-Greene and Claude Friese-Greene

ReferenceFRI

William Friese-Greene was a British photographer, chemist and maverick inventor spanning both the Victorian and Edwardian era and credited, by some, as the inventor of cinematography (the recording of photographic images for use in cinema or the use of a film camera to take pictures). He constructed a series of proto-type cameras and pioneered the motion picture camera (patent 10131 – June 1889) in addition to stereoscopic and colour cinematography.

Born in 1855 in Bristol he went to Queen Elizabeth’s Hospital School. After serving an apprenticeship to the portrait photographer, Maurice Guttenberg, he set his own studio in Bath and later in Bristol, London and Brighton. In 1874 he married Helena Friese. Whilst in Bath he met John Arthur Roebuck Rudge (1837-1903), a maker of magic lanterns. He showed Friese-Greene his ‘Biophantic Lantern’ which was a device that could show seven glass slides in rapid succession thereby giving the illusion of movement. Working together they improved the ‘Biophantic Lantern’ so that it could project photographic plates and created the ‘Biophantascope’. But Friese-Greene realised the limitations of glass plates and began experimenting with celluloid material for motion pictures.

In June 1889 Friese-Greene was issued patent 10131 for an 'improved apparatus for taking photographs in rapid series' this was his ‘Chronophotographic Camera’ which was able to take up to 10 photographs per second using a perforated celluloid film. However because of the cameras’ low frame rate and unreliability the camera wasn’t a commercial success. Later he went onto experiment stereoscopic cameras but again success eluded him. His experimenting and lack of commercial success made him bankrupt in 1891. His businesses often suffered as a result the time he devoted to his experiments in cinematography and with his other inventions. He married his first wife Victoria Marina H. Friese in March 1874, and his second wife Edith Jane Harrison in January 1897.

Friese-Greene went onto experiment with colour photography and its application to motion pictures. His system was called ‘Biocolour’ which was a process the created the illusion of true colour by exposing each alternate frame of ordinary black and white film through two different coloured filters. Each alternate monochrome frame was then stained red or green. However, again the process encountered technical problems. Although it gave a tolerable illusion of true colour it did suffer from a bad flickering effect and red and green fringing when the subject was in rapid motion.

A rival system to Biocolour called Kinemacolour was invented by George Albert Smith (1864 – 1959) and Charles Urban (1867 – 1942) who took Friese-Greene to court claiming that any colour film was an infringement of their earlier patent. Friese-Greene claimed that Smith’s and Urban’s patent didn’t contain enough detail to encompass the Biocolour process. The judge ruled in Urbans’ favour but upon appeal in the House of Lords in 1914 overturned the decision. But due to on-going technical and financial problems Friese-Greene was never able to exploit the process. It would be his son Claude who would go on to develop the Biocolour process.

William Friese-Greene died on May 5th 1921 whilst attending a film and cinema meeting at the Connaught Rooms, Kingsway in London. He is buried in Highgate Cemetery, London.

Friese-Greene, Claude

Date

1897-1980

Scope and ContentThis family collection spanning the work of William Friese-Green and his son Claude Friese-Greene constitutes a potted history of the British film industry from it's pre-commercial era, through the development of colour to studio production from 1920 until the 1950s.

The collection contains a mixture of primary and secondary material covering William Friese-Greene's pioneering cinematographic and colour cinematographic work as well as his son's career within the British film industry. It includes objects and equipment (particularly cameras and stereoscopic viewers), family scrap books, film samples, letters and plans, photographic albums, patent applications and specifications, film stills, publicity materials, press cuttings, films and research.

ExtentNine archive boxes containing approximately 730 individual components.

LanguageEnglish

Archival historyPart of this archive was transferred to the National Media Museum in 1994 by descendants of William and Claude Friese-Greene.

Levelfonds

Repository nameNational Science and Media Museum, Bradford

SubjectCinema, Film cameras, Film industry, Colour film, Cinematography., Film making

Conditions governing accessAccess is given in accordance with the NMeM access policy. Material from this collection is available to researchers through the museum’s Insight facility.

Conditions governing ReproductionCopies may be supplied of items in the collection, provided that the copying process used does not damage the item or is not detrimental to its preservation. Copies will be supplied in accordance with the NMeM’s terms and conditions for the supply and reproduction of copies, and the provisions of any relevant copyright legislation.

System of arrangementThis collection is currently undergoing cataloguing and a system of arrangement is still being established - this field will be updated at a later date.