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Finding Aid for the William Horsley Papers, 1903-1947
540
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Title: William Horsley Papers
Date (inclusive): 1903-1947
Collection number: 540
Creator:
Horsley, Wm. (William), d. 1956
Extent:
1 box (0.5 linear ft.)
Abstract: William Horsley (1870-1956) founded the Centaur Film Company (later, Nestor Motion Picture Company) in Bayonne, New Jersey
in 1907. His film company and other independents merged to create Universal Pictures Company in 1912. The collection contains
photographs, correspondence, magazines and magazine articles, and ephemera related to William Horsley's career in the motion
picture industry.
Language: Finding aid is written in
English.
Repository:
University of California, Los Angeles. Library. Department of Special Collections.
Los Angeles, California 90095-1575
Physical location: Stored off-site at SRLF. Advance notice is required for access to the collection. Please contact the UCLA Library, Department
of Special Collections Reference Desk for paging information.
COLLECTION STORED OFF-SITE AT SRLF: Open for research. Advance notice required for access. Contact the UCLA Library, Department
of Special Collections Reference Desk for paging information.
Restrictions on Use and Reproduction
Property rights to the physical object belong to the UCLA Library,
Department of Special Collections. Literary rights, including copyright,
are retained by the creators and their heirs. It is the responsibility of
the researcher to determine who holds the copyright and pursue the
copyright owner or his or her heir for permission to publish where The UC
Regents do not hold the copyright.
Language of Material: Material is in English.
Provenance/Source of Acquisition
Gift of Mrs. William Horsley, 1959.
[Identification of item], William Horsley Papers (Collection Number 540). Department of Special Collections, Charles E. Young
Research Library, UCLA.
Horsley was born in 1870; left England for the U.S.; worked as a boiler maker; with his brother David, founded the Centaur
Film Company (later, Nestor Motion Picture Company) in Bayonne, New Jersey in 1907; along with his brother and other independents,
founded Universal Pictures Company in 1912; designed and supervised the construction of Universal City; in 1916 he set up
the Bill Horsley Laboratory (later, Hollywood Film Enterprises, Incorporated), which developed and printed 35mm. films; he
died in 1956 in Los Angeles, California.
William and David Horsley were pioneers in the motion-picture industry, starting in Bayonne, New Jersey, in 1907, under the
name of Centaur Film Company (later Nestor Motion Picture Company). For the first three years, William was a silent partner,
financing the little company which brother David was running. But from 1910 until 1916 he played an active role in the company
running the laboratory part of the business. In 1916 he withdrew from the company and set up the Bill Horsley Laboratory,
later known as Hollywood Film Enterprises, Inc., devoted exclusively to the developing and printing of 35mm. films.
He and his brother, along with other independents (notably Carl Laemmle and his Independent Motion Picture Company, known
as IMPS, Swanson and Ed Porter) founded Universal Picture Company in 1912, and succeeded in defeating the monopolistic hold
on the industry of the Patents Company and General Film Company (the famous Latham Loop controversy).
Collection contains photographs, correspondence, magazines and magazine articles, and ephemera related to William Horsley's
career in the motion picture industry. Also contains a one-page holograph autobiography by Horsley. Includes photographs of
Horsley, Nestor Motion Picture Company staff, and the opening of Universal Studios. Journals, including
Motive Power, feature biographical accounts of Horsley.
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.
Horsley, Wm. (William), d. 1956--Archives.
Universal Pictures Company.
Motion picture industry--United States--Archival resources.
Photographs.