J. Max Bond, Sr. Home Movie #3: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

This 16mm color film is one of ten home movies shot by J. Max Bond, Sr. from 1930 to 1960. The footage mainly focuses on family, travel, and educational institutions with which J. Max Bond Sr. was associated.

Consists of: 16mm Film (a) and Original 400 foot Film Reel (b).

2016.16.3.1a: 16mm film. The film opens with a wide shot of men cheering from a covered grandstand at a homecoming football game. This is followed by pan shots of finely dressed women standing in a line and seated men cheering for the camera. Subsequently, there are wide shots of the football team warming up and of the game itself. Next, there are multiple shots of the Tuskegee marching band performing on the football field. The camera then shoots a man speaking to the crowd. This is followed by more shots of the marching band and the football game. The film then cuts to scenes from a ceramics class. There are multiple shots of ceramic objects and a close up of a bust of Booker T. Washington being sculpted. The following scene depicts children in a classroom with wide shots of the children and a teacher seated in a circle and multiple portrait-style shots of the children and teachers. Next, a weaving class is shown with wide shots of a loom in operation and students showing off objects they've made in the class. This is followed by multiple shots of a cooking class where a teacher is training students in various techniques. The next several shots are out of focus, but appear to depict people formally entering a room. The film ends with multiple shots from a funeral with both wide and portrait-style shots of the mourners.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: 1939-1941
• Created by: J. Max Bond, Sr., American, 1902 - 1991
• Type: home movies
• Type: 16mm (photographic film size)
• Medium: acetate film on metal
• Dimensions: Duration: 13 Minutes
• Dimensions: Length (Film): 350 Feet
• Place captured: Tuskegee, Macon County, Alabama, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Art
• Topic: Cooking and dining
• Topic: Education
• Topic: Film
• Topic: Football
• Topic: Funeral customs and rites
• Topic: Sports
• Object number: 2016.16.3.1ab
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift from the Family of George Clement Bond
• Data Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture

Sources and reuse

Catalogue descriptions and facts adapted from National Museum of African American History and Culture through the Smithsonian's official Open Access dataset. This record explicitly marks its metadata CC0 1.0; formatting and selection have been changed. The underlying object's rights statement is: © Alison Bond Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.