Benedict Spinoza Deinard Motion Picture Censorship Scrapbooks and Pamphlets
Overview
This collection consists of materials relating to motion picture censorship gathered by Deinard for his S.J.D. thesis, Some Legal and Historical Aspects of Motion Picture Censorship, by Benedict Spinoza Deinard (HLS '22).
Dates
- Creation: 1914 - 1922
Conditions Governing Access
Access to these papers is governed by the rules and regulations of the Harvard Law School Library. This collection is open to the public, but is housed off-site at Harvard Depository and requires 2 business-day advance notice for retrieval. Consult the Special Collections staff for further information.
Conditions Governing Use
The Harvard Law School Library holds copyright on some, but not all, of the material in our collections. Requests for permission to publish material from this collection should be directed to the Special Collections staff. Researchers who obtain permission to publish from the Harvard Law School Library are also responsible for identifying and contacting the persons or organizations who hold copyright.
Extent
9 scrapbook boxes, (1 boxes)The Motion Picture Censorship Scrapbooks and Pamphlets span the years 1914 to 1922. The bulk of the collection is housed within nine scrapbooks. The scrapbooks contain clippings, articles, correspondence, memorandum, autographs, and speeches. Additional motion picture censorship materials include works in the form of pamphlets, advertisements and a draft of Bendict Spinoza Deinard's Harvard S.J.D. thesis, Some Legal and Historical Aspects of Motion Picture Censorship.
This collection contains a substantial body of information relative to film and film censorship at the national, worldwide, and local level. The collection offers insight into the shaping of film and censorship laws, the changing moral standards of the early twentieth century, and the technological advances that paralleled the dynamic growth in motion picture popularity.
Historical/Biographical Information
- 1896 First projected motion picture shown in New York.
- 1909 National Board of Review established by the People's Institute to review films prior to public release.
- 1916 Merger of the Motion Picture Board of Trade and the National Exhibitor's League to form the National Association of the Motion Picture Industry.
- 1921 William A. Brady, President of the National Association of the Motion Picture Industry tours the country protesting film censorship.
- 1921 New York State passes film censorship law.
- 1922 Film industry turns to self-regulation, with the intent of avoiding film censorship imposed upon it by external authorities.
- 1896
- First projected motion picture shown in New York.
- 1909
- National Board of Review established by the People's Institute to review films prior to public release.
- 1916
- Merger of the Motion Picture Board of Trade and the National Exhibitor's League to form the National Association of the Motion Picture Industry.
- 1921
- William A. Brady, President of the National Association of the Motion Picture Industry tours the country protesting film censorship.
- 1921
- New York State passes film censorship law.
- 1922
- Film industry turns to self-regulation, with the intent of avoiding film censorship imposed upon it by external authorities.
Series List/Description
- Series 1. 1916-1922,
Boxes 1-9.
Series 1 is comprised of nine scrapbooks housedwithin individual boxes.
- Series 2. 1914-1922,
Box 10.
Series 2 is comprised of pamphlets, correspondence,clippings, advertisements, and a draft thesis, Some Legal and Historical Aspects of Motion Picture Censorship, written by Benedict Spinoza Deinard (HLS S.J.D. '22).
Physical Location
Harvard Depository
Immediate Source of Acquisition
The Motion Picture Censorship Scrapbooks and Pamphlets were donated to the Harvard Law School Library by the firm of Leonard, Street and Deinard (in 1908?); this material was almost certainly collected by Benedict Spinoza Deinard (HLS S.J.D. '22) in preparation for writing his S.J.D. thesis, which was titled Some Legal and Historical Aspects of Motion Picture Censorship.
General note
Note: Included in this collection was a February 21, 1922 edition of The London Times that could not be salvaged. The relevance of this to the collection may have been the four-page supplement "Cinema Number." "Compliments of Joe Rogers" was written in pencil on the front page in the upper left corner. This supplement is available on microfilm (HULPR AAN0884).
Processing Information:
Processed by Amy Moore, August 1999
Topical
- Motion picture industry -Germany.
- Motion picture industry -United States.
- Motion picture industry -Public relations -United States.
- Motion pictures -Censorship -Germany.
- Motion pictures -Censorship -Kansas.
- Motion pictures -Censorship -Massachusetts.
- Motion pictures -Censorship -Missouri.
- Motion pictures -Censorship -New York.
- Motion pictures -Censorship -Ohio.
- Motion pictures -Censorship -Pennsylvania.
- Motion pictures -Censorship -United States.
- Motion pictures -Law and legislation -United States.
- Motion pictures -Law and legislation -Massachusetts.
Subject
- Brisbane, Arthur, 1864-1936 (Person)
- Title
- Deinard, Benedict Spinoza. Motion Picture Censorship Scrapbooks and Pamphlets, 1914-1922: Finding Aid.
- Author
- Harvard Law School Library, Cambridge, MA 02138
- Language of description
- und
- EAD ID
- law00020
Repository Details
Part of the Harvard Law School Library, Historical & Special Collections Repository
Harvard Law School Library's Historical & Special Collections (HSC) collects, preserves, and makes available research materials for the study of the law and legal history. HSC holds over 8,000 linear feet of manuscripts, over 100,000 rare books, and more than 70,000 visual images.
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