The President's carriage / motion picture

This film shows President Roosevelt in San Francisco, passing in the arrival parade on Market Street on Tuesday, May 12, 1903. The camera view is from the north side of Market Street, just east of Grant Avenue. After leaving the Southern Pacific train station at Third and Townsend streets, the parade proceeded up Third Street and wound through downtown San Francisco before continuing up Market Street to a ceremony at the Native Sons Hall on Mason Street. The film was taken a few minutes after 3:00 pm, when the extensive military portion of the parade had already passed. Some of the store signs seen in the film along the south side of Market Street include Townsend's California Glace Fruits, Swan the Painter, Charles Lyons (merchant tailor), Morley Billiards, and Spreckles Market.
The following is a scene-by-scene description of the film: [Frame: 0100] The opening view is southeast down Market Street. During his visit, the President stayed at the Palace Hotel, at center right. [0402] Note the photographer with his large box camera at left. The President's carriage has turned into Market Street from Third Street at right in front of the white facade of the Hearst Building. [1160] President Roosevelt waves to the crowd as his carriage passes in front of the decorated facade of the Call Building. Governor Pardee, Mayor Schmitz, and Mr. Deyoung, Chairman of the Citizens' Reception Committee (and Chronicle newspaper owner) ride with the President. [1353] Note the entourage of secret service men walking beside the presidential carriage, a reminder of the fate of President Roosevelt's predecessor, President William McKinley. [1456] Reporters hurry past, keeping pace with the carriage. [1846] A cavalry officer, probably of the 9th U.S. Cavalry, passes in front of the History Building. [2154] The camera pans back to the east, showing the empty gubernatorial and mayoral broughams. Many carriages of distinguished persons follow.
H32392 U.S. Copyright Office
Copyright: American Mutoscope & Biograph Co.; 4Jun1903; H32392.
Camera, H.J. Miles.
Duration: 1:36 at 15 fps.
One of several films taken during President Theodore Roosevelt's visit to San Francisco on May 12-14, 1903 as part of his presidential tour of the West in 1903.
Biograph production no. 2374.
Paper print shelf number (LC 1817) was changed when the paper prints were re-housed.
Photographed: May 12, 1903. Location: San Francisco, California.
The entry for this film in Niver's Early motion pictures gives the date May 26, 1903, but does not indicate that the film was actually photographed on that day. Research indicates that May 26 is the date information about the film was entered into the Biograph production log.
Available also through the Library of Congress Web site as digital files.
Sources used: Niver, K. Early motion pictures, p. 258; Internet movie database WWW site, viewed October 21, 2013; Biograph photo catalog (a.k.a. Biograph picture catalog), Vol. 5, nos. 2003-2502, no. 2374, viewed via New Jersey Digital Highway WWW site, October 21, 2013; The Boston herald, 5/13/1903, p. 11 viewed online via Newsbank/Readix database, June 4, 2014; Biograph production logs, v. 1: 1899-1903, p. 150-151.
Early motion pictures : the Paper Print Collection in the Library of Congress / by Kemp R. Niver. Library of Congress. 1985.