Lumière Cinématographe outfit *

Patented in 1895 by Auguste and Louis Lumière, the Cinématographe was the first practical and commercially viable apparatus capable of recording, printing and projecting motion pictures within a single compact, hand-cranked mechanism. Its public debut on 28 December 1895 at the Salon Indien du Grand Café in Paris — the first ticketed public film screening in history — is widely regarded as the birth of commercial cinema. The Lumière system, lightweight and mechanically sophisticated, rapidly spread across Europe and internationally, establishing motion picture exhibition as a new industry.

Manufacture of the machines was entrusted to the Parisian precision engineer Jules Carpentier, whose production models formed the backbone of early cinematic dissemination. As demand for public screenings increased, specialized projector-only devices followed, marking the transition from experimental apparatus to permanent theatrical projection.

The offered ensemble comprises an original Lumière Cinématographe no.207, complete with its taking lens and matching projection lens, preserved together with its original wooden film cassette and the original wooden tripod featuring the characteristic slot for film. The apparatus is in excellent, well-preserved condition and remains in working order, with smooth mechanical operation. As an early production example of this foundational device, it represents a highly important survival from the very beginnings of cinematography.

Additionally included is a separate Carpentier projector from 1897, no.1003-87, also preserved in excellent condition and in working order; the shutter wheel is glued. This dedicated projection device illustrates the rapid technical evolution of cinema during its formative years.

Together, this historically coherent group documents the crucial early phase of motion picture technology — from the multifunctional Cinématographe of 1895 to the specialized projection systems that established cinema as a public spectacle — and constitutes an exceptionally rare and museum-worthy ensemble.