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    · French · 1872–1901

    Adolphe Le Prince

    The son of French inventor Louis Le Prince; at sixteen he crossed the frame in Roundhay Garden Scene, and later served as the American plaintiff in Equity 6928, the suit that challenged Thomas Edison's motion-picture patents.

    Details

    Lived
    1872–1901
    Born
    1872
    Birthplace
    Paris
    Died
    1901
    Place of death
    Fire Island, New York
    Nationality
    French

    People Adolphe Le Prince Knew

    Relationships with other people, with sources for each connection.

    Illustrated portrait of Louis Le Prince

    Louis Le Prince

    • Filmmaker

    Child of · 1872

    Adolphe was born in Paris in 1872, the eldest son of Louis Le Prince and Elizabeth Whitley. Sixteen years later he appears in Roundhay Garden Scene, crossing the frame between his grandparents Sarah and Joseph Whitley and the family friend Annie Hartley. He kept the cameras and paper film after his father's 1890 disappearance and carried the patent claim to New York.

    — National Science and Media Museum — The mystery of Louis Le Prince; University of Leeds Special Collections — Louis Le Prince Collection

    Connections and Sources

    Adolphe Le Prince’s connections to people, places, and works, with the sources behind each one.

    Child of · 1872

    Louis Le Prince

    Adolphe was born in Paris in 1872, the eldest son of Louis Le Prince and Elizabeth Whitley. Sixteen years later he appears in Roundhay Garden Scene, crossing the frame between his grandparents Sarah and Joseph Whitley and the family friend Annie Hartley. He kept the cameras and paper film after his father's 1890 disappearance and carried the patent claim to New York.

    — National Science and Media Museum — The mystery of Louis Le Prince; University of Leeds Special Collections — Louis Le Prince Collection

    Performed in · 1888

    Roundhay Garden Scene

    Aged sixteen, Adolphe crossed the centre of his grandparents' garden during his father's 14 October 1888 camera test — the fourth walker in the circle, and the only one of the film's featured four still visible in the surviving frames without another figure obscuring him.

    — Science Museum Group — Two frames from Roundhay Garden Scene; National Science and Media Museum — The mystery of Louis Le Prince

    References

    References

    The sources below include biographies, scholarly essays, interviews, and primary materials that informed this page. They reflect both the historical record and ongoing critical conversations about Adolphe Le Prince and their work.

    1. 1National Science and Media Museum — The mystery of Louis Le Prince

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      Web source consulted for documented facts and historical context presented on the Adolphe Le Prince page.

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    2. 2University of Leeds Special Collections — Louis Le Prince Collection

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      Used for

      Web source consulted for documented facts and historical context presented on the Adolphe Le Prince page.

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    1. 3Science Museum Group — Two frames from Roundhay Garden Scene

      Website
      Used for

      Web source consulted for documented facts and historical context presented on the Adolphe Le Prince page.

      View source
    2. 4National Science and Media Museum — The mystery of Louis Le Prince

      Website
      Used for

      Web source consulted for documented facts and historical context presented on the Adolphe Le Prince page.

      View source
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    Why these sources are here

    These references anchor the page in the documented record and in the scholarly conversations around Adolphe Le Prince. Every claim on this page traces back to one or more of the works listed here.

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