Pan-American Exposition by night /

The film begins with a slow pan over the tower building of the exposition, which was lighted by electric lights. The pan goes from a daylight shot of the grounds to what appears to be a special effects situation involving back lighting of the scene.
"A great feature of the Pan-American Exposition, as unanimously conceded by all visitors, was the electric illumination of the Exposition grounds at night. After a great deal of experimenting and patience, we succeeded in securing an excellent picture of the buildings at the Pan-American as they appeared when lighted up at night. All the buildings from the Temple of Music to the Electric Tower are shown, including the Electric Tower itself. The emotional and sensational effects were also secured by starting the panoramic view by daylight and revolving the camera until the Electric Tower forms the center of the field of the lens. Our camera was then stopped and the position held until night, when we photographed the coming up of the lights, an event which was deemed by all to be a great emotional climax at the Pan-American Exposition. Immediately the lights are burning to their fullest brilliancy, the camera is again set in motion and revolved until the Temple of Music is reached. The motion is then reversed and the camera goes back until it rests on the Electric Tower, thus supplying the climax to the picture. The great searchlights of the Tower are being worked during the entire time the picture is being exposed, and the effect is startling. The picture is pronounced by the photographic profession to be a marvel in photography, and by theatrical people to be the greatest winner in panoramic views ever placed before the public"--Edison films catalog no. 135.
H9784 U.S. Copyright Office
Copyright: Thomas A. Edison; 17Oct1901; H9784.
Camera: Edwin S. Porter, James H. White, James Smith.
Duration: 0:51 at 15 fps.
Photographed mid-to-late October, 1901 in Buffalo, New York.
The Library of Congress copy of this film may not contain all of the scenes described in the Edison Company summary.
Paper print shelf number (LC 0995) was changed when the paper prints were re-housed.
Additional holdings for this title may be available. Contact reference librarian.
Available also through the Library of Congress Web site as digital files.
Sources used: Niver, K. Early motion pictures, p. 236; AFI catalog, film beginnings, 1893-1910, p. 776-777; Musser, C. Before the nickelodeon, p. 186-187, p. 517 (note 177); Edison films catalog, no. 135, September, 1902, p. 22.
Early motion pictures : the Paper Print Collection in the Library of Congress / by Kemp R. Niver. Library of Congress. 1985.
35 mm viewing print renumbered: FEC 1532 to FYA 0591.