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Sheffield Photo Company


RichardB

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Frank S Mottershaw (1850-1932)

Middle name "Storm" ? - to be confirmed, silent film director of :

  1. That Nasty Sticky Stuff (1908)
  2. Lost in the Snow (1906)
  3. Our Boyhood Days (1906)
  4. An Eccentric Burglary (1905)
  5. Mixed Babies (1905)
  6. A Dash with the Despatch (1904)
  7. Attack on a Japanese Convoy (1904)
  8. The Coronation of King Peter the First (1904)
  9. Robbery of the Mail Coach (1903)
    ... aka "Jack Sheppard: The Robbery of the Mail Coach" - USA (reissue title)
    ... aka "Mail Coach Robbery" - USA (reissue title)
  10. A Daring Daylight Burglary (1903)
    ... aka "A Daring Daylight Robbery" - International (English title)
    ... aka "Daylight Burglary" - USA
Cinematographer :

  1. Krunisanje Kralja Petra I Karadjordjevica (1904)
  2. The Coronation of King Peter the First (1904)
More details/links to clips anyone please ?

Source

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A brilliant find.

well done

Find me lots more motion video from over 100 years ago and I'll read the name from them as well

The Pubs list was a big help.

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Find me lots more motion video from over 100 years ago

Mottershaw and the Sheffield Photo Company are well known pioneers of the very early film industry.

Nice to see some of these films, now ovewr 100 years old, still exist.

Many of these really old films were made on cellulose nitate film stock whick could burst into flame, explode, decompose into grey goo or otherwise self destruct unlike modern acetate film stock.

I seem to remember their camera shop, called "Sheffield Photo Co.", persisted up until the 1980's

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Mottershaw and the Sheffield Photo Company are well known pioneers of the very early film industry.

Nice to see some of these films, now ovewr 100 years old, still exist.

Many of these really old films were made on cellulose nitate film stock whick could burst into flame, explode, decompose into grey goo or otherwise self destruct unlike modern acetate film stock.

I seem to remember their camera shop, called "Sheffield Photo Co.", persisted up until the 1980's

Was that on Norfolk Row?

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Was that on Norfolk Row?

yes they were on Norfolk Row, I think in later times there was some connection with one of Sheffield's other photo shops Hodgsons on Charles St. Dave will know

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Was that on Norfolk Row?

Yes it was originally on Norfolk Row, but at some point in the late 1970's (I think, from memory) it moved from Norfolk Row to Charles Street.

The old premises they moved out of became a building society (I think, Newcastle Building Society) but before they left a variety of old films and photographs were recovered from their "vault". This may be where some of the films in the links in this topic came from.

The new premises in Charles Street were bigger and it was already a photographic shop before Sheffield photo Co. took it over. It was previously called "Hodgson's Cameras" and was well equipped for all your photographic / cinematographic needs.

Eventually Sheffield Photo Co. seemed to disappear and the shop is currently a non-photographic business.

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Sheffield photo Co. Ltd. photographic dealers,

6 Norfolk Row, S1.

Kelly's 1965.

Can just be seen here on picturesheffield,

the first protruding square sign, just off center/right.

That's the place Steve.

Both those protruding signs to the right of centre are Sheffield Photo Co. with the shop between the two.

The first one (the one you refer to) has a picture of a camera on it and the second one (next right) says "Sheffield Photo Co."

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The first one (the one you refer to) has a picture of a camera on it

Suprisingly, even in such low resolution and on such a small picture that picture of a camera on the sign appears to be a Leica M3.

Don't ask how I know that, but it's the sort of thing that Leica users just seem to know.

This camera came out in 1954 and was the first of the "new style" models which had bayonet mounted lenses instead of 39mm screw mount.

It remained in production until 1967 when it was superceded by the M4 rangefinder model and the new (from 1965) SLR camera, the Leicaflex.

Picture Sheffield gives the date on this picture as decade, 1960's.

Perhaps that single sign outside a shop can narrow it down a bit into the first half of that decade.

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2 minutes, 37 seconds - Prince of Wales, Banner Cross, Henry Hollingsworth.

Here's a still taken from 'A Daring Daylight Burglary (1903)'

what's the name of the Pub (still there) that can be seen in the background/right?

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Am I right in thinking that Sheffield Photo Co. used to have a shop towards the bottom of London Road?

Across the road from Harrison's Photographic Shop.

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Am I right in thinking that Sheffield Photo Co. used to have a shop towards the bottom of London Road?

Across the road from Harrison's Photographic Shop.

Possibly, but I can't remember it.

However, I used Ron Harrisons photo shop quite a lot and over the years his shop swapped which side of the road it was on several times, and it always seemed to be a move into bigger premises.

The current Ron Harrisons shop is on the opposite side of the road to his original shop.

Could the "Sheffield Photo Co." you are thinking of just be the previous premises of Ron Harrison?

Ron Harrison himself was a great guy, loved old cameras, was extremely knowledgable and loved to share his knowledge and enthusiasm with you. He wasn't out to just get a sale or make a quick profit and everything I bought from him, including old secondhand goods, were at a good price, fully examined and tried out and almost guarateed to do what you wanted.

If you wanted something out of the ordinary, like parts for an old Leica or Contax that had been obsolete for the last 30 years he was brilliant at tracking these items down.

Last time I went in there in the mid 1980's Ron wasn't there as I think he had retired but the business was being run by his son, - clearly to his fathers high standards of service.

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Here's a still taken from 'A Daring Daylight Burglary (1903)'

what's the name of the Pub (still there) that can be seen in the background/right?

Isn't it the Robin Hood at the bottom of Springfield Rd? That looks like the old copshop on the left, now yet another restaurant!

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Isn't it the Robin Hood at the bottom of Springfield Rd? That looks like the old copshop on the left, now yet another restaurant!

Yes Peter that's right, looking up Archer Rd,

the only clue really is the old cop shop.

I did have the full 1903 film somewhere,

but wouldn't be able to put it on YouTube due to copyright law.

Robin Hood PH

Image from Google SV

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Yes it was originally on Norfolk Row, but at some point in the late 1970's (I think, from memory) it moved from Norfolk Row to Charles Street.

The old premises they moved out of became a building society (I think, Newcastle Building Society) but before they left a variety of old films and photographs were recovered from their "vault". This may be where some of the films in the links in this topic came from.

The new premises in Charles Street were bigger and it was already a photographic shop before Sheffield photo Co. took it over. It was previously called "Hodgson's Cameras" and was well equipped for all your photographic / cinematographic needs.

Eventually Sheffield Photo Co. seemed to disappear and the shop is currently a non-photographic business.

The Norfolk Row premises of Sheffield Photo Co. are currently Mark Jenkinson and Co. (Solicitors)

The Charles Street premises are currently the Cheltenham & Gloucester Building Society.

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The Sheffield Photo Company had a processing, printing and developing place in Nether Edge. I worked there along with my mum, in the summer holidays whilst at school, they used to employ students in the summer. All the photos were in black and white and the wedding photos were hand tinted. We use to take the finished photos and place them in their relevant envelopes along with the negatives and if people asked for deckled edges we used to have to do every individual print on a type of cutting machine that gave a jimpy edge. That would have been in the late 50's early 60's which was just about the time that the first colour printers were installed.

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Guest nickeverett

I just got an Sankyo cm440 super8 camera from Harrision's Cameras. When I got it home I discovered the original guarantee was hidden in the manual.

I'm having trouble dating the camera as information is scarce. But judging by similar models, I would say it was bought between 1969 - 1973.

Can anyone date the guarantee card or camera?

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I just got an Sankyo cm440 super8 camera from Harrision's Cameras. When I got it home I discovered the original guarantee was hidden in the manual.

I'm having trouble dating the camera as information is scarce. But judging by similar models, I would say it was bought between 1969 - 1973.

Can anyone date the guarantee card or camera?

Link ..

Sankyo Super CM 400

silent super 8 cartridge.

Marketed in 1969

Link to .. Sankyo Super CM 400

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I just got an Sankyo cm440 super8 camera from Harrision's Cameras. When I got it home I discovered the original guarantee was hidden in the manual.

Welcome to Sheffieldhistory nickeverett.

Nice to see that someone is still using 8mm film in this day and age ;-)

Just bought an 8mm camera, - not an electronic digital camera. :blink:

All I will say is that 8mm film these days is hard to come by (because the demand is so low) ludicrously expensive (over £20 for a 4 minute 50 foot length) and processing is equally as rare and expensive.

However, it is different to digital, has its own charm and still has a few followers

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Frank Mottershaw holds an honored place in cinematic history since the "dynamic" editing used in "A Daring Daylight Robbery" was the inspiration for later films including "The Great Train Robbery" dir Edwin S. Porter

His family continued making films including

http://www.yfaonline.com/assetDetails.cfm?film=1969&keyword=&sortby=&decade=24&by=decade&start=11&fromSearchValue=fromBrowseBy

Yorkshire Film Archive ..... "Driving with Clare" .. double click on the above to view

The family is is still in business with the Great Grandson (I think) still working as a photographer in Grindleford

Frank Mottershaw is referred to in the a website ref for R. W . Paul see below

http://www.screenonline.org.uk/people/id/449512/

for ref: "A Daring Daylight Robbery" was mostly filmed at the location of "The Prince of Wales" public house at the junction of Ecclesall Road South and Carter Knowle Rd however it is not the same building that is there now (The original building I believe was destroyed by fire in 1928)

"A Daring Daylight Robbery" is still available to buy from BFI on a "Pioneers of Silent Cinema" DVD - I have heard it said that it took inspiration from the story of Charlie Peace a former resident of Banner Cross who was a burglar by profession who went on to commit his famous evil murder near "The Banner Cross Hotel" but of course he is another intriguing story......

I have seen "An Eccentric Burglary" which was also filmed in the area including Psatler Lane (by where the old Jet petrol station was) .... this film is famous for its "special effects" ie film run backwards and 'before and after' effects

Also interestingly the "The Prince of Wales" is adjacent to "Henry Boot Ltd" which in its early history had a director who was responsible for funding the creation of the "Rank Studios" in the 40's? /50's

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