In 1889, a British photographer designed an early motion-picture camera triggering the birth of the movie industry and related fields: How did William Friese-Greene invention changed the world?

In 1889, a British photographer designed an early motion-picture camera triggering the birth of the movie industry and related fields. The photographer was William Friese-Greene, who worked on photography, printing and film technology. He developed a camera that could take a series of photographs on a roll of paper or celluloid film. The film moved intermittently behind a shutter. This method became part of the principle later used in motion-picture cameras. Friese-Greene also worked on stereoscopic and colour cinematography. His work did not result in a successful public moving-picture presentation, but it formed part of the development of cinematography during a period when inventors were trying to record and display movement.

William Friese-Greene and the development of motion pictures

William Friese-Greene was born on September 7, 1855, in Bristol, Gloucestershire, England. He became a photographer and inventor and worked on several areas connected with image production. He held more than 70 patents during his career. His patents covered cinematography, photography and printing technology. His work included ideas related to phototypesetting and inkless printing.

His interest in moving pictures led him to work on cameras that could record a series of photographs. The aim was to capture separate images in sequence so that they could later represent movement.


The development of this technology was taking place during a period when several inventors were working on ways to record and reproduce motion. Photography had already made it possible to capture individual images. The next problem was finding a way to record several images quickly and in sequence. Friese-Greene worked on this problem through his motion-picture camera.

The 1889 camera used roll film

The 1889 motion-picture camera was designed to take a series of photographs on a roll of film. The design could use paper and celluloid roll film. The camera used an intermittent mechanism behind a shutter. This meant that the film did not simply move continuously. It moved, stopped and exposed individual frames before moving again.

This approach was important because motion pictures require individual images to be recorded in sequence. When the images are shown one after another at a suitable rate, the viewer can perceive movement.

Friese-Greene's camera was reported to be capable of capturing up to ten frames per second. He also worked with perforated film, which helped control the movement of the film through the camera. The use of celluloid was also connected to the development of film technology. Celluloid provided a flexible material that could be used in a roll. This made it possible to store a sequence of photographic images on a strip.

Early moving-picture experiments in London

Friese-Greene carried out experiments with moving pictures in London. Some of his work involved recording traffic and street life. These tests involved taking sequences of images rather than producing a conventional motion picture as audiences later came to understand it.

The experiments showed the direction in which photography was developing. Instead of taking one photograph of a person, object or street, an inventor could attempt to record a sequence.

However, recording the images was only one part of the problem. A motion-picture system also needed to capture enough frames in a short period and reproduce them at a rate that created continuous movement. This technical requirement created problems for Friese-Greene.

Why the invention did not create successful moving pictures?

Friese-Greene is sometimes credited with the invention of cinematography because of his work on a camera that used a series of photographs on moving film. However, his camera appears to have been unable to capture images at a sufficient rate for successful animation. There was no successful public presentation of moving pictures by him that established a complete cinematographic system.

This distinction is important when discussing the history of the motion picture camera. Friese-Greene contributed to the development of the technology, but he did not complete all the technical steps needed to create a successful motion-picture system.

Credit for a successful cinematographic device is generally given to Thomas Edison and the work carried out by his team. The development of cinema was not the result of one invention by one person. It involved several experiments and inventions involving cameras, film, mechanisms and methods of displaying images.

His work extended beyond motion-picture cameras

Friese-Greene did not stop with moving pictures. He also worked on colour-film processes and stereoscopic cinematography. Colour cinematography required methods for recording and reproducing colour information. Friese-Greene explored this field, but he lacked some of the technical knowledge needed to turn his ideas into working systems.

His work in stereoscopic cinematography also focused on producing images that could provide a sense of depth. These areas later became part of the wider development of film and visual media. His career therefore covered more than the early motion-picture camera.

A career affected by financial problems

William Friese-Greene's work as an inventor was also connected to repeated financial problems. He earned money from his portrait studios and from printing-related patents. His work included phototypesetting and methods involving inkless printing.

Instead of keeping the money from these activities, he put much of it back into his experiments. He also borrowed money to continue his work on moving-picture and colour-film projects. His focus on invention created problems in managing his businesses. He did not successfully commercialise some of his early cameras and colour processes.

His financial situation became worse over time. He went bankrupt three times and faced debtor's prison. The story shows one of the problems faced by inventors during the development of new technology. Creating an invention did not necessarily mean that the inventor could build a profitable business around it.

Friese-Greene died with little money

William Friese-Greene died on May 5, 1921, in London. He was 65. His death came during a film meeting in London. At the time, he had only one shilling and tenpence in his pocket.

His financial situation was very different from the value later attached to the history of early cinema. He had spent years working on photography, printing, motion pictures and colour film, but his inventions had not provided him with financial security.

His life therefore became part of the history of cinema as both an inventor's story and a story about the difficulties of commercialising new technology.

How his work influenced film history?

The importance of Friese-Greene's work lies in his experiments with sequential photography and moving film. His 1889 camera used a principle that would become important in motion-picture technology. A series of photographs had to be recorded on film, with the film moving through the camera in a controlled manner.

The camera itself did not produce the complete system that later created cinema. However, his experiments were part of the larger development of cinematography.

The movie industry eventually depended on several technologies. These included photographic film, cameras, projection systems, film processing and methods for recording and reproducing images. The work of inventors such as Friese-Greene contributed to this process.

Why William Friese-Greene remains part of cinema history?

William Friese-Greene remains connected with the history of early cinema because of his work on motion-picture cameras and film. His career also shows that the development of the movie industry happened through many stages. Early inventors had to solve problems involving film movement, exposure, frame rates and image reproduction.

Friese-Greene developed a camera using roll film and an intermittent mechanism. He experimented with moving images in London and later worked on colour and stereoscopic cinematography.

His camera did not achieve the frame rate needed for a successful moving-picture presentation. For that reason, it is more accurate to describe his work as part of the development of cinematography rather than as the single invention that created cinema.

His career ended without the financial success that might have been expected from his contributions. Yet his work remains part of the history of the technology that eventually developed into the movie industry.

Key points to remember

• William Friese-Greene was born on September 7, 1855, in Bristol, England.
• He worked as a British photographer and inventor.
• He held more than 70 patents.
• His patents covered photography, printing and cinematography.
• His 1889 camera used paper and celluloid roll film.
• The camera used an intermittent mechanism behind a shutter.
• It was designed to capture up to ten frames per second.
• He conducted moving-picture experiments in London.
• Some of his tests recorded traffic and street life.
• His camera did not capture images at a sufficient rate for successful animation.
• He did not give a successful public presentation of moving pictures.
• Thomas Edison is generally credited with a successful cinematographic device.
• Friese-Greene later worked on stereoscopic and colour cinematography.
• He faced problems turning his inventions into commercial products.
• He went bankrupt three times.
• He faced debtor's prison.
• He died on May 5, 1921, in London.
• He was 65 years old when he died.
• He reportedly had one shilling and tenpence in his pocket at the time of his death.