Birt Acres filming the Derby, Surrey, 29 May 1895

Birt Acres filming the Derby, Surrey, 29 May 1895. In 1895 the American-born Acres (1854-1918) collaborated with British engineer Robert W Paul (1869-1943) to build the first working English cine camera-cum-projector. They filmed a number of sporting events, such as the Oxford and Cambridge boat race and the Derby horse race at Epsom racecourse in Surrey. Here, Acres turns the handle of his camera, surrounded by top-hatted racegoers. His partnership with Paul dissolved after only six weeks, after Acres patented his Kinetic Camera - similar to the one the partners had developed together. Acres developed his own projector, variously known as the Kinetic Lantern, the Cinematoscope and the Kineopticon. ©SSPL/Science Museum