Michael Holman Family Home Movie #25: 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 wide shot of a group of men seated next to a podium before a large, seated audience at the Baha'i Mediterranean Conference in an unidentified Italian city. In the background a Baha'i Faith symbol can be seen. Next, several panning shots show the audience in the room. This is followed by several close ups of people standing together chatting. The camera then focuses on three seated women in unidentified traditional dress. This is followed by footage of the audience exiting the hall where the gathering is taking place and greeting one another. Many shots focus on a man and woman of dressed in traditional outfits of unidentified origin. The film concludes with a series of shots depicting street life and wide shots of an unidentified coastal city.

An original white plastic film reel (b) with a brief content note and an original yellow plastic film container (c) with Fotomat markings.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: ca. 1968
• 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: Super 8
• Medium: acetate film and plastic
• Dimensions: Duration: 3 Minutes
• Dimensions: Length (Film): 50 Feet
• Place depicted: Italy, Europe
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Families
• Topic: Film
• Topic: Religion
• Topic: Travel
• Object number: 2016.31.3.25.1abc
• 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.