Michael Holman Family Home Movie #13: 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 plastic film reel (b), and an original cardboard film box (c).

The film begins with wide shots of a group of people gathered outdoors in an unidentified location in Arizona. Several people are dressed in the traditionalthe traditional clothing of an unidentified Native American tribe. In one shot, two men hug and greet one another and in others various groups of people pose together for the camera. Alice Holman appears in a group of four people on the far right. She is holding a large purse and wearing plaid pants, a white shirt, a blue hairband, and sunglasses. In a later shot, all of the people present assemble for a group photo with a Baha'i Faith banner. Several people then speak at a microphone to the gathering of people. The film then changes to a series of shots taken on a cruise ship, the S.S. Rotterdam. Included are images of people relaxing on deck and posing for the camera. Linda Holman reclines on a deck chair and waves, while wearing a red and white checked sweater and gray skirt. She then talks to another child in front of the camera.

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: 1961-1962
• Created by: Pauline Thompson Wood, American, born 1901
• Owned by: Michael Holman, American, born 1955
• Subject of: Alice Holman, American, 1927 - 2009
• Subject of: Linda Holman, American, born 1953
• Type: silent films
• Type: home movies
• Type: color films (visual works)
• Type: 8mm (photographic film size)
• Medium: acetate film, plastic and cardboard
• Dimensions: Duration: 3 Minutes
• Dimensions: Length (Film): 50 Feet
• Place depicted: Arizona, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Families
• Topic: Film
• Topic: Religion
• Topic: Travel
• Object number: 2016.31.3.13.1abc
• 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.