le prince

Machiavel est le premier philosophe à voir l'homme tel qu'il est, et non tel qu'il devrait être. Il en déduit une nouvelle règle de conduite : celle de l'action audacieuse dans le moment décisif. Une règle qui peut servir aussi bien au Prince qu'au peuple.

Le Prince begins his experiments in motion pictures with two designs for machines with which to view images. What can we learn about them? How did they come about? And what might Le Prince do next?

A short, digressive episode in which we will explore the perceived authority of photographic images through its use in the solving of crime, the persuading of people in the existence of ghosts and in the potential to influence perceptions of conflict. The episode goes on to imagine how Le Prince's work on cycloramas may have influenced his views on film in later years.

We continue to move through the 1870's, looking at Le Prince's career as an artist and teacher, and his continued connection with the struggling Whitley foundry. We also look at how Le Prince came to have a piece of work placed underneath the famous Cleopatra's Needle in London.

1876. Le Prince becomes a Freemason and moves into 33 Park Square, a house that will be filled with happy memories for him and also, where he will begin experiments in photography that will lead towards his work in motion pictures.

The year 1876 also sees a patent for a motion picture camera from another inventor with Leeds connections - a patent which leaves us with more questions than answers...

The contrasting fortunes of the Le Princes and John Whitley are looked at. Louis, with a growing family and a successful art school, has put down roots in the town of Leeds. John Whitley, on the other hand, experiences business failures that will see him have to 'disappear' from the town.

And an odd inconsistency in the story of Le Prince is revealed. Why has Le Prince's biographer put 1875 down as the year in which he discovered the work of Edweard Muybridge. 

1875, a year of contrasting fortunes and of clues.

What is a motion picture camera? And how could the film pioneers know what film might mean to the world?

Le Prince, back in Leeds, but weakened by his time in Paris during the Siege, is persuaded to withdraw from Whitley Partners and start an art school with Lizzie. The school is a great success and work from it is exhibited in many conversaziones for societies such as the Leeds Philosophical and Literary Society. 

The episode will look at Le Prince's life  during the 1870's and explore how it might have come to shape his later ideas on what film might mean to society.

The episode will suggest that Le Prince, the film maker, would be one of the last great Victorian collectors.

This episode starts with a look at a French newspaper report which may offer clues to help us better understand the identity of the German-accented stranger mentioned in an earlier article. In exploring this point, we will discuss the idea of 'confirmation bias'.

We will then move from France to Leeds and look at the turbulent business years of Whitley Partners as well as learning of some of Le Prince's own financial commitments. We will see a story of apparent success but also of disputes and financial instability.

A short description of the fall of Paris is followed by a look at how much we can learn from a few brief pieces of primary source material. Taking a handful of brief newspaper articles from 1870, the episode looks at the different ways of pulling them apart and using them to help our understanding not just of Le Prince's wartime misadventures but of his later work with film cameras.

This is the opening episode of The Shadow Traps podcast series. It will give an overview of the story, looking at Le Prince's life, films and mysterious disappearance on September 16th 1890. There will be clues and theories scattered throughout the episode, as well as stories from the earliest days of film. It is a labour of love, researched over the past seven years and lasting just over an hour and a half. It will set up listeners for the adventures ahead!

Researcher and writer Irfan Shah introduces the new podcast series, The Shadow Traps, which will explore and celebrate the story of Louis Le Prince and will investigate the inventor's mysterious disappearance in 1890.