Michael Holman Family Home Movie #31: 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 metal can (c).

The film begins with a series of panning shots overlooking the skyline of Lisbon, Portugal. The next series of shots depicts streetlifestreet life in historic sections of Lisbon with passers by interacting with the camera. This is followed by several shots of Tamariz beach, near Lisbon. Several wide shots taken from a boat depict views of Lisbon. Following these shots are more scenes of streetlifestreet life in Lisbon and a series of shots of streetlifestreet life taken in an unidentified village in Spain. The film concludes with several shots of the Plaza de Espana in Sevilla, Spain, as well as the exterior of an unidentified building.

An original gray plastic film reel (b) with a brief content note and an original metal film container (c) with adhesive tape with handwritten information about its content also accompany the film.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: ca. 1956
• 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 and metal
• Dimensions: Duration: 5 Minutes
• Dimensions: Length (Film): 70 Feet
• Place depicted: Lisbon, Portugal, Europe
• Place depicted: Estoril, Lisboa, Portugal, Europe
• Place depicted: Sevilla, Spain, Europe
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Families
• Topic: Film
• Topic: Travel
• Object number: 2016.31.3.31.1abc
• 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.