Michael Holman Family Home Movie #10: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

This film is from a collection of home movies filmed by the family of Michael Holman, an important figure in the history of hip hop. It consists of a single reel of 8mm silent acetate film with color (a), an original metal film reel (b), and an original cardboard film box (c).

The film begins with a series of shots of street scenes and landmarks around Madrid, Spain. Included are the Arco de la Victoria and the Spanish Air Force Headquarters. Next is a series of shots taken from a moving vehicle and include images of people along the side of the road, as well as a Spanish soldier. This is followed by a wide shot overlooking Avila, Spain. This is followed by more shots of street scenes, many of which focus on local children in an unidentified city interacting with the camera operator. Another series of street scenes and shots of landmarks follows, possibly in and around Plaza Mayor in Madrid. Further shots from a moving vehicle follow this series and includes an extended shot of women performing road construction. Next, there is a brief series of shots of an unidentified church and surrounding plaza followed by a wide shot of windmills spinning in the distance. This is followed by a series of shots taken in and around the Praça do Comércio in Lisbon, Portugal. The film ends with a series of shots from a moving vehicle that depict unidentified locations.

The standard yellow Kodak 8mm film box (c) that accompanies the film has handwritten mailing addresses for processing film in Europe. It also includes a brief handwritten content note.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: ca. 1957
• Created by: Pauline Thompson Wood, American, born 1901
• Owned by: Michael Holman, American, born 1955
• Type: silent films
• Type: home movies
• Type: color films (visual works)
• Type: 8mm (photographic film size)
• Medium: acetate film, plastic and cardboard
• Dimensions: Duration: 5 Minutes
• Dimensions: Length (Film): 50 Feet
• Place depicted: Madrid, Spain, Europe
• Place depicted: Avila, Spain, Europe
• Place depicted: Lisbon, Lisboa, Portugal, Europe
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Families
• Topic: Film
• Topic: Travel
• Object number: 2016.31.3.10.1abc
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
• 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: © Michael Holman Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.