Home Cinema Film - "Pathescope"

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Pathescope Ltd

Overview

10 x cardboard boxes with labelling. Inside each one is a roll of 9.5mm film.

Historical information

Pathéscope was a British film branch of Pathé founded in 1912, and primarily made films using the 9.5mm film format (which was later discontinued by Pathé in 1957).

9.5mm film is an amateur film format introduced by Pathé in 1922 as part of the Pathé Baby amateur film system. It was conceived initially as an inexpensive format to provide copies of commercially made films to home users.

Details

Registration number

cwa-org-124-2026.245

Item type

Films

Themes

Leisure

Material

Cardboard

Film

Inscriptions and markings

On the box is labelled: "Pathescope 9.5mm. Safety Film"

Each box of film is a different topic:
(a) "30244 The Barn Dance. (M.M) 60FT"
(b) "30267 Birdies Love Cats. 60FT"
(c) "30211 Donald Ducks Debut. 30FT"
(d) "30216 Fireman Mickey. 60FT"
(e) "10449 From Fat to Thin. 60FT"
(f) "30191 My Umbrella. 60FT"
(g) "30146 Prelude Mickey. 60FT"
(h) (print is illegible)
(i) (print is illegible)
(j) (print is illegible

Contextual information

The format makes use of a single, central perforation (sprocket hole) between each pair of frames, as opposed to 8 mm film, which has perforations along one edge, and most other film formats, which have perforations on each side of the image. The single hole allowed more of the film to be used for the actual image, and in fact the image area is almost the same size as 16 mm film. The perforation in the film is invisible to viewers, as the intermittent shutter blocks the light as the film is pulled through the gate to the next frame

The perforation sits in the CENTRE of the film. In every other home projection format you are likely to meet — regular 8mm, Super 8, 16mm — the sprocket holes run along one edge or both, with the picture sitting between or beside them. Pathé-Baby inverts that: a single hole sits on the centre line between frames, and the image occupies almost the full width of the film.

Keywords

Projector - Accessories

Primary significance criteria

Artistic or aesthetic significance

Historic significance

Social or spiritual significance

Last modified

Sunday, 23 August, 2026

Completeness

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Busselton Historical Society