Where did the projectors in this collection come from? A precision engineer in Stuttgart, a 13-year-old school dropout in Saint-Étienne, a lens craftsman in Japan — their machines brought cinema to theaters and homes around the world.
Bauer
"Every other film shown in cinemas and on television today is projected by a Bauer machine."
Pathé
A film empire born from Edison's phonograph demonstrations
Zeiss Ikon
How a farmer's son came to dominate 90% of the world's flight recorder market
Heurtier
A 13-year-old dropout who became an inventor with 65 patents
Agfa
"Toy of the year" — the devastating review that sealed its last invention
Siemens
The green enamel Siemens 2000 — the projector that became a school standard
Bolex (Paillard)
Founded by an 'ambitious, mysterious self-made man'
Bell & Howell
90% of all professional films were perforated by their machines
Chinon
60,000 cameras a month — but nobody knew their name
Ditmar
From lamp factory to dual-format projector innovation
Meopta
Czech optical excellence born in a 3×5 meter workshop
Elmo
The projectors that command top prices among collectors
Sekonic / Copal
From shutter maker to projector maker, and back to shutters