Léon Bouly facts for kids
Léon Guillaume Bouly (1872–1932) was a French inventor. He is famous for creating the word "cinematograph." This word is still used today for movies and filmmaking!
What is the Cinematograph?
Léon Bouly was very interested in how to capture movement. He worked on devices that could take many pictures quickly, like early forms of chronophotography. This is a way of taking photos in a sequence to show motion.
On February 12, 1892, Bouly got a patent for his new invention. He called it the Cynématographe Léon Bouly. This was a special machine that could both take pictures and show them. It was designed to analyze and create moving images.
How Bouly's Device Worked
Bouly's cinematograph was quite clever for its time. It could both shoot (record) film and project (show) it. The machine used a special film that didn't have holes along the edges.
It had all the important parts needed for making movies. For example, the film moved in a jerky way through the camera. This movement was perfectly timed with the camera's shutter. This timing is key to making moving pictures look smooth.
Today, two of Bouly's original cinematograph devices are kept safe. You can find them at the Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers in France. This is a museum of science and industry.
The Name Becomes Famous
On December 27, 1893, Bouly made the name of his invention shorter. He simply called it the cinématographe. This is the name we know today!
However, in 1894, Bouly faced a problem. He could not afford to pay the fees to keep his patents. This meant that the name "cinématographe" was available for anyone to use.
Bouly then sold the rights to his device and its name. He sold them to two other famous inventors, the Lumière Brothers. They used the name "cinématographe" for their own movie machine in 1895. The Lumière Brothers went on to become very well known for their work in early cinema.
