Historical story

On this day in 1895, cinema was officially launched by the Limière brothers

It was December 28, 1895 when the Limière brothers held the first public screening of a short film, with a ticket, at the Grand cafe in Paris.

A total of 35 people attended the screening and watched ten films, which lasted a total of about 15 minutes. In these first cinematic efforts, a scene from everyday life was usually projected statically.

This day went down in history as the official day of appearance of cinema, in the form we know it today.

A few words about the Limier brothers

The Limière brothers, Louis (October 5, 1864 – June 6, 1948) and Auguste (October 19, 1862 – April 10, 1954), were born in Besançon, France, but both grew up in Lyon, where their father ran a photography shop. species.

From their youth they worked in the family business and from 1892 they engaged in the creation of moving images. They built a taking and projecting machine, for which they received a patent on February 13, 1894, as SanSimera writes.

On March 22, 1895, they held the first private screening of their own short film, and on December 28 of the same year, they held the first public screening, with a ticket, at the Grand Café in Paris.

In 1896 the Limière brothers embarked on a tour of London and New York, where they were warmly received. However, they themselves judged that cinema has no future, so they sold their invention to Georges Méliès, keeping for themselves only a small piece in the history of the big screen.

In 1903 they patented color photography, which was launched in 1907. For several years, the "Limier" company dominated the European photographic market, until it merged with Ilford and disappeared as a brand.