Museum of Moving Image: Silent Film Era

Between 1894 and 1931,  the nascent film industry produced hundreds of silent films. According to the Museum of the Moving Image (MMI),  only about 20% of these silent films still exist. The Museum of Moving Images (MMI) was founded in 1988 on the site of the former Paramount Astoria Studios,  where numerous prominent silent films were produced. On the Silent Film Era portion of its website,  users can search through archives of thousands of materials related to silent films. These artifacts include pictures of original equipment,  promotional material,  film stills,  costumes,  and tin cans decorated with portraits of famous actress by artist Henry Clive. On the homepage,  users may also search for a particular director,  actor,  movie,  or piece of equipment. By selecting “Read more about the silent film era,” viewers can find out about the collection and examine a handful of materials from the archives with more detailed annotations. As visitors view each object,  subject tags may inspire additional searches. [MMB]