Finding Aid for the Albert E. Smith Papers LSC.2004
Finding aid prepared by Manuscripts Division staff; machine-readable finding aid created by Caroline Cubé and edited by Josh
Fiala, November 2002.
UCLA Library Special Collections
Online finding aid last updated 2022 October 24.
Room A1713, Charles E. Young Research Library
Box 951575
Los Angeles, CA 90095-1575
Business Number: 310-825-4988
Fax Number: 310-206-1864
spec-coll@library.ucla.edu
Contributing Institution:
UCLA Library Special Collections
Title: Albert E. Smith papers
Creator:
Smith, Albert E.
Identifier/Call Number: LSC.2004
Physical Description:
18 Linear Feet
(15 boxes, 6 oversize boxes)
Date (inclusive): 1897-1933
Abstract: Albert E. Smith (1875-1958) co-founded the Vitagraph Company of America as the Reader, Smith, and Blackton Combination in
1894. He invented the Vitagraph, one of the first successful motion picture projectors, in 1896. The collection consists of
correspondence, scrapbooks, albums, photographs, auditor's reports, and trade agreements pertaining to the business of the
Vitagraph Company of America, of which Smith was co-founder.
Physical Location: Stored off-site. All requests to access special collections material must be made in advance using the request button located
on this page.
Language of Material: Materials are in English.
Conditions Governing Access
Open for research. All requests to access special collections materials must be made in advance using the request button located
on this page.
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
CONTAINS AUDIOVISUAL MATERIALS: This collection contains processed audiovisual materials. All requests to access digital materials
must be made in advance using the request button located on this page.
Conditions Governing Use
Property rights to the objects belong to UCLA Library Special Collections. All other 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.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], Albert E. Smith papers (Collection 2004). UCLA Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research
Library, University of California, Los Angeles.
Provenance/Source of Acquisition
Gift of Lucile Smith, 1959.
Processing Information
Processed by Manuscripts Division staff, 1997.
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interest and research value, availability of staff and resources, and competing priorities. Library Special Collections provides
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UCLA Catalog Record ID
Biography
Smith was born in 1875 in Faversham, England; co-founded the Vitagraph Company of America as the Reader, Smith, and Blackton
Combination in 1894; Vitagraph producer, writer, and executive with actor and director J. Stuart Blackton until sale of the
company to Warner Brothers in 1925; invented the Vitagraph, one of the first successful motion picture projectors, in 1896;
had a wife, Lucile, and 6 children; died August 1, 1958 in Los Angeles.
Scope and Content
Collection consists of correspondence, scrapbooks, albums, photographs, auditor's reports, and trade agreements pertaining
to the business of the Vitagraph Company of America, of which Smith was co-founder. Runs of ephemeral publications, Vitagraph
releases (1916-1920) and six bound volumes of the
Vitagraph Bulletin (1906-1916) complete the Vitagraph documentation. There are 17 reels of audiotapes recorded by Smith on the subject of motion
picture history, as well as a copy of his autobiography.
Organization and Arrangement
Collection arranged chronologically.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Motion picture industry -- History -- Archives.
Motion picture producers and directors -- United States -- Archives.
Scrapbooks.
Photographs.
Audiotapes.
Blackton, James Stuart
Smith, Albert E.--Archives.
Vitagraph Company of America--Archives.
Vitagraph Company of America.
box 1
Early beginnings.
1897-1904.
General Physical Description note: 291pp.
Scope and Contents note
Newspaper clippings, documents, early film catalogs (1901-1904), folder of notes for book and typescript manuscripts of history
of Vitagraph Company by Albert E. Smith.
box 1, case 1
Tape I Albert E. Smith, early 1949 recorded from tape 1 yrlsc_2004_01_01a
2015 December 2
Physical Description: 1 Sound Recordings(1 1/4 inch audiotape; Duration: 00:07:42)7 inches
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
CONTAINS AUDIOVISUAL MATERIALS: Audiovisual materials are available for access. All requests to access digital materials must
be made in advance using the request button located on this page.
Scope and Contents
Transcribed from container: "Tape I Speed 7 1/2 Albert E. Smith, early 1949, both sides, recorded from tape 1 in Albert E.
Smith Papers, Box 14."; Conent note: Starts w/ Smith interview. Two other recordings on this track, may or may not be related.
box 1, case 1
Tape I Albert E. Smith, early 1949 recorded from tape 1 yrlsc_2004_01_01b
2015 December 2
Physical Description: 1 Sound Recordings(1 1/4 inch audiotape; Duration: 00:30:46)7 inches
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
CONTAINS AUDIOVISUAL MATERIALS: Audiovisual materials are available for access. All requests to access digital materials must
be made in advance using the request button located on this page.
Scope and Contents
Transcribed from container: "Tape I Speed 7 1/2 Albert E. Smith, early 1949, both sides, recorded from tape 1 in Albert E.
Smith Papers, Box 14."
box 1, case 2
Tape II Albert E. Smith early 1949 rerecorded from tapes 2, 3, 4, 5 yrlsc_2004_01_02a
2015 December 1
Physical Description: 1 Sound Recordings(1 1/4 inch audiotape; Duration: 01:01:00)7 inches
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
CONTAINS AUDIOVISUAL MATERIALS: Audiovisual materials are available for access. All requests to access digital materials must
be made in advance using the request button located on this page.
Scope and Contents
Transcribed from container: "Tape II Speed 3 3/4 Albert E. Smith, early 1949, both sides, rerecorded from tapes 2, 3, 4, 5
in Albert E. Smith Papers, Box 14." "Original of side 2, 1st half was spliced several times. May sound a bit patchy in places."
box 1, case 2
Tape II Albert E. Smith early 1949 rerecorded from tapes 2, 3, 4, 5 yrlsc_2004_01_02b
2015 December 1
Physical Description: 1 Sound Recordings(1 1/4 inch audiotape; Duration: 01:01:00)7 inches
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
CONTAINS AUDIOVISUAL MATERIALS: Audiovisual materials are available for access. All requests to access digital materials must
be made in advance using the request button located on this page.
Scope and Contents
Transcribed from container: "Tape II Speed 3 3/4 Albert E. Smith, early 1949, both sides, rerecorded from tapes 2, 3, 4, 5
in Albert E. Smith Papers, Box 14." "Original of side 2, 1st half was spliced several times. May sound a bit patchy in places."
box 1, case 3
Tape III Albert E. Smith early 1949 rerecorded from tapes 6, 7, 8, 9 yrlsc_2004_01_03a
2015 December 1
Physical Description: 1 Sound Recordings(1 1/4 inch audiotape; Duration: 01:01:00)7 inches
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
CONTAINS AUDIOVISUAL MATERIALS: Audiovisual materials are available for access. All requests to access digital materials must
be made in advance using the request button located on this page.
Scope and Contents
Transcribed from container: "Tape III Speed 3 3/4 Albert E. Smith, early 1949, both sides, rerecorded from tapes 6, 7, 8,
9 in Albert E. Smith Papers, Box 14."
box 1, case 3
Tape III Albert E. Smith early 1949 rerecorded from tapes 6, 7, 8, 9 yrlsc_2004_01_03b
2015 December 1
Physical Description: 1 Sound Recordings(1 1/4 inch audiotape; Duration: 00:59:55)7 inches
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
CONTAINS AUDIOVISUAL MATERIALS: Audiovisual materials are available for access. All requests to access digital materials must
be made in advance using the request button located on this page.
Scope and Contents
Transcribed from container: "Tape III Speed 3 3/4 Albert E. Smith, early 1949, both sides, rerecorded from tapes 6, 7, 8,
9 in Albert E. Smith Papers, Box 14."
box 1, case 4
Tape IV Albert E. Smith early 1949 rerecorded from tapes 10, 11, 12, 13 yrlsc_2004_01_04a
2015 December 1
Physical Description: 1 Sound Recordings(1 1/4 inch audiotape; Duration: 01:01:00)7 inches
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
CONTAINS AUDIOVISUAL MATERIALS: Audiovisual materials are available for access. All requests to access digital materials must
be made in advance using the request button located on this page.
Scope and Contents
Transcribed from container: "Tape IV Speed 3 3/4 Albert E. Smith, early 1949, both sides, rerecorded from tapes 10, 11, 12,
13 in Albert E. Smith Papers, Box 14."
box 1, case 4
Tape IV Albert E. Smith early 1949 rerecorded from tapes 10, 11, 12, 13 yrlsc_2004_01_04b
2015 December 2
Physical Description: 1 Sound Recordings(1 1/4 inch audiotape; Duration: 01:01:00)7 inches
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
CONTAINS AUDIOVISUAL MATERIALS: Audiovisual materials are available for access. All requests to access digital materials must
be made in advance using the request button located on this page.
Scope and Contents
Transcribed from container: "Tape IV Speed 3 3/4 Albert E. Smith, early 1949, both sides, rerecorded from tapes 10, 11, 12,
13 in Albert E. Smith Papers, Box 14."
box 1, case 5
Tape V Albert E. Smith early 1949, side 1 only rerecorded from tapes 14 & 15 yrlsc_2004_01_05
2015 December 2
Physical Description: 1 Sound Recordings(1 1/4 inch audiotape; Duration: 01:03:00)7 inches
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
CONTAINS AUDIOVISUAL MATERIALS: Audiovisual materials are available for access. All requests to access digital materials must
be made in advance using the request button located on this page.
Scope and Contents
Transcribed from container: "Tape V Speed 3 3/4 Albert E. Smith early 1949, side 1 only rerecorded from tapes 14 & 15 (both
labeled 14-a) in Albert E. Smith Papers, Box 14"
box 2
1908-1916.
Scope and Contents note
Correspondence, ephemera and clippings, auditor's reports, stock certificates, agreements (bound volume)
re ownership of Vitagraph Company and By-Laws of Smith-Blackton Company, 1916.
box 3
Vitagraph Bulletins.
1909-1916.
General Physical Description note: Six bound volumes.
box 4
1916.
Scope and Contents note
Correspondence, contracts, auditor's statements.
The Big Four Family, publication of Vitagraph, Lubin, Selig, Essanay, Incorporated. Bound (vol.1-4).
box 5
1915-1918.
Scope and Contents note
Correspondence, legal documents;
Vitagraph Releases. 1916-1917 (two bound volumes).
box 6
1917-1920.
Scope and Contents note
Correspondence, legal documents, auditor's reports.
Vitagraph Releases. 1918, 1919 (two bound volumes).
Shadowland, the magazine of magazines. (M.P. Publishing Company, New York). vol.1 no.1. September 1919.
Vitagraph family, vol.9-12. June 1917-June 1918 (bound).
box 7
1920-1922.
Scope and Contents note
Correspondence, contracts and agreements, copies of legal briefs involving Vitagraph Company, auditor's reports. Typescript
of Releases
1920 (bound) containing synopses and credits.
box 8
1923-1924.
Scope and Contents note
Legal documents, correspondence.
box 9
1924-1929.
Scope and Contents note
Correspondence, publicity releases.
box 10
1925-1956.
Scope and Contents note
Correspondence, ephemera, photographs, auditor's report 1917.
Two reels and a crank. Autographed copy of book.
box 11
Notebooks containing story ideas. Reports on individual theatres. Legal contracts.
1920. 1924.
box 13
Scrapbook of clippings on the death of John Bunny.
1915.
box 13
Scrapbook of newspaper clippings.
1914.
box 13
Miscellaneous motion-picture publications.
box 14
History of Vitagraph Company.
General Physical Description note: 17 reels tape.
box 16
Photograph album. Stills from Vitagraph productions of O'Henry stories.
box 16
Photograph album. Jean Paige - stills from Vitagraph productions.
box 20
Scrapbook.
1925.
Scope and Contents note
Newspaper clippings covering Vitagraph's break with Hays Office (MPPDA).
box 20
Scrapbook. Clippings.
1923-1933.
box 21
Panoramic photograph of Vitagraph personnel.
1910.
General note
Missing, January 1990.
