Lumière brothers

(Auguste Lumière; Louis Lumière)

   Both the Lumière brothers—Auguste (1862-54) and Louis (1864-1948)—were born in Besançon, and were inventors, photographic manufacturers, and pioneer filmmakers who, in 1895, invented an early picture camera that also functioned as a projector. In contrast to the cumbersome machinery invented by Edison, theirs was portable and lightweight, and suitable for outdoor use. It also used less film, was quieter, and operated more smoothly. They called this device the "Cinématographe," and it allowed the taking of pictures and projection at the same time. On December 28, 1895, in Paris they surprised the public with the showing of their short film, La Sortie des usines Lumière, considered to be probably the first true motion picture ever made. They also showed the films L'Arrivée d'un train en gare de La Ciotat (1895) and L'Arroseur arrosé (1895). In these, their audience was startled by the image of motion and of an oncoming train, and many consider these occasions to be the birth of the cinema industry. The Lumière brothers continued productions, increasing their staff and, by 1898, amassed a film catalog of more than 1,000 motion pictures. In 1903, they also produced the first color photographs. Auguste Lumière, a biologist, additionally studied the therapeutic use of magnesium cells, and was admitted to the Academy of Sciences in 1919. Louis Lumière was interested in photography in relief (photostere-osynthesis, 1920), and achieved a method of ana-glyphes, or the projection of two complementary colors, in 1935.