McKinley at Home, Canton, Ohio
About McKinley at Home, Canton, Ohio
William McKinley walks the lawn of his house in Canton, Ohio, with his secretary, George B. Cortelyou. Cortelyou hands him a telegram. McKinley reads it and looks satisfied. Ida McKinley sits in a rocking chair on the porch.
Cast & crew
More about McKinley at Home, Canton, Ohio
William K. L. Dickson directed. Billy Bitzer was the cameraman. A two-man Biograph crew shot it on the lawn on 17 and 18 September 1896, on 68mm film, 60.02 meters. The American Mutoscope Company released it in September 1896. Alternate title: Major McKinley at Home. Copyrights were entered 11 November 1896 and 7 January 1897.
Themes
Background
It was made in September 1896, while McKinley was the Republican candidate and still at home in Canton.
Making
Dickson set the Biograph camera on the Canton lawn during the 1896 campaign and had Cortelyou deliver the telegram on cue.
Look
Billy Bitzer photographed one outdoor view of the lawn, the porch, and the two men crossing the grass.
Preservation
A copy survives and is on Wikimedia Commons.
Notes
- The picture stages McKinley receiving word of the Republican nomination. The convention had nominated him weeks earlier.
- After he reads the telegram he takes off his hat and wipes his forehead.
- The Biograph catalog tells exhibitors to watch his walk and his gestures.
- McKinley's brother Abner and former president Benjamin Harrison were stockholders in the company.
- AFI also lists lengths of 35 feet and 198 feet.
Scenes
- Cortelyou hands McKinley the telegram on the lawn.
- Ida McKinley watches from a rocking chair on the porch.
Also available
- Wikimedia Commons (William McKinley at Home Canton Ohio 1896 1st United States President on film.webm)