The Man Without a Country: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

A short dramatic film with the title The Man Without a Country. It consists of a single reel of black-and-white 16mm acetate film with optical sound. The film follows US Army Lt. Philip Nolan (John Litel), who conspires to found a new country west of the Mississippi river and is subsequently discharged from the army and is exiled from the United States.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: 1937
• Directed by: Crane Wilbur, American, 1886 - 1973
• Subject of: John Litel, American, 1892 - 1972
• Subject of: Gloria Holden, 1903 - 1991
• Subject of: Ted Osborne, American, 1905 - 1987
• Subject of: Donald Brian, 1877 - 1948
• Subject of: Holmes Herbert, British, 1882 - 1956
• Owned by: D.C. Public Library, American, founded 1896
• Type: sound films
• Type: black-and-white films (visual works)
• Type: short subjects
• Type: 16mm (photographic film size)
• Medium: acetate film
• Dimensions: Duration: 25 Minutes
• Dimensions: Length (Film): 900 Feet
• Place used: Washington, District of Columbia, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: American West
• Topic: Film
• Topic: Military
• Object number: 2017.55.105.1ab
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Transferred from the DC Public Library
• 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: Restrictions likely apply. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.