The Black Maria was Thomas Edison's film production studio in West Orange, New Jersey. It was the world's first film studio.
Edison's Black Maria Studio
A drawing of the exterior from 1894
Annabelle Whitford doing her "butterfly dance", recorded at the Edison's Black Maria studio
Thomas Alva Edison was an American inventor and businessman. He developed many devices in fields such as electric power generation, mass communication, sound recording, and motion pictures. These inventions, which include the phonograph, the motion picture camera, and early versions of the electric light bulb, have had a widespread impact on the modern industrialized world. He was one of the first inventors to apply the principles of organized science and teamwork to the process of invention, working with many researchers and employees. He established the first industrial research laboratory.
Edison c. 1922
Edison in 1861
Edison's Menlo Park Laboratory, reconstructed at Greenfield Village in Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan
Edison's Menlo Park Lab in 1880