Michael Holman Family Home Movie #23: 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 plastic cover (c).

The film begins with a series of shots in and around Akka Prison, a Baha'i Faith holy site in Acre, Israel. The next series of shots depicts a group of people visiting the gardens of the Mansion of Bahji, another Baha'i holy site in Acre. A series of shots then depict street life in Haifa, Israel from a variety of angles and street corners. The film concludes with a wide shot of the Shrine of the Bab, a Baha'i holy site, as viewed from the streets in Haifa.

An original white plastic film reel (b) with a brief content note and an original blue plastic film container (c) with Technicolor markings also accompany the film.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: ca. 1968
• Created by: Pauline Thompson Wood, American, born 1901
• Subject of: Baha'i World Centre, founded 1909
• Owned by: Michael Holman, American, born 1955
• Type: silent films
• Type: home movies
• Type: color films (visual works)
• Type: Super 8
• Medium: acetate film and plastic
• Dimensions: Duration: 3 Minutes
• Dimensions: Length (Film): 50 Feet
• Place depicted: Acre, Northern District, Israel, Middle East, Asia
• Place depicted: Haifa, Northern District, Israel, Middle East, Asia
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Bahá'í faith
• Topic: Families
• Topic: Film
• Topic: Religion
• Topic: Travel
• Object number: 2016.31.3.23.1abc
• 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.