About Me

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Santa Clarita, Ca, United States
I work as a Technology Manager in the Entertainment Industry. My first film was Disney's Dinosaur and have been credited on several films since. I love working on old electronics, especially old radios. I am also passionate about technology and education. I have 4 kids and you can read about us on our family blog.

Sunday, March 23, 2025

The Salvation Army Limelight Studio

While on a trip in Australia to visit the Lost Trades Fair, I made a trip to Melbourne to visit the Salvation Army Australia Museum. As a Magic Lantern performer, I was especially interested in their Limelight Studio which was used in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s to make Magic Lantern slides and was also one of the world's first film studios.    

 Lindsay Cox gave me a guided tour.  He has been working on updating the space to return it to its 1800’s appearance but also to make it relevant for modern visitors.






A display of slides created at the facility. 






Operating as a commercial photography business under the name Salvation Army Studio, the studio produced Cabinet Photos, Paris Panels, and Carte De Visite photographs for customers including Salvation Army members and the general public.   It also created Magic Lantern shows and film content for the Salvation Army .  Many narrative slide sets were produced at the studio as well as cinema sequences.






Some history of the Limelight Studio

Captain Joseph Perry - 1890 - 1891


Salvation Army Captain Joseph Perry got his start as a film technician and publicist in 1890 at Ballarat Australia where he established a photographic and lantern slide studio. Perry’s work with the Salvation Army involved managing a home focused on the rehabilitation of released inmates from the Ballarat Jail. His lantern shows allowed him to promote his work as well as raise funds for upkeep of the facility.

Major Frank Barrett - 1891 

Perry’s talents soon caught the eye of his superior Major Frank Barrett. Barrett had established the Salvation Army Studio in Melbourne at 69 Burke St. and brought Perry to Melbourne to become the chief technician and producer of the content  at the studio. They produced Lantern shows and performed them for the public. 

Perry was a skilled showman, and Commissioner Coombs started the "Limelight Brigade".  Perry was able to travel extensively through Australia and New Zealand giving Lantern lectures promoting the Salvation Army. In the first three years he gave over 500 illustrated lectures and covered over 30,000 miles in the first three years.


The Attic Limelight Studio - 1894

The attic studio was added in 1894 by raising the roof and adding south facing sky-lights. (Studios in the northern hemisphere usually use north facing skylights as this allows avoiding direct sun and harsh shadows. Southern hemisphere is the opposite.). This acted as the Limelight Brigade’s new headquarters and photographic facility and was operated by Captain Joseph Perry.  The current museum is contained within this original studio.  


You can still see the text above the door for the original coloring studio. 





South facing skylights for natural light. 



Herbert and Corelie Booth - 1896
The lantern slide and photographic studio had been going for 5 years when, in 1896, new leadership was brought into Australia and Asia.  Herbert and Corelie Booth decided to enlarge it, rename it as the Limelight Department.  The Salvation Army Studio became colloquially known as ‘The Limelight Studio’ because of its association with Perry and the Limelight Department.  They acquired a Lumière Cinématographe, a novel device which was both a portable camera and a projector as well as three Kinematographs.  This greatly enhanced the abilities of the department. They continued to add photographic equipment including film projectors, photographic cameras, and Biunial and Triunial Magic Lantern projectors.



The First Film Studio - 1898
It was quickly understood that film was a powerful way to deliver a message and focus was put on producing films for the public. 



Soldiers Of the Cross - 1900
Perry, and Booth collaborated on the multimedia spectacle “Soldiers Of The Cross”. This was a two and a half hour epic which consisted of fifteen, 90 second film clips and contained over 200 hand colored Lantern Slides. Herbert Booth delivered the script in person and music was provided by a brass band and choir. The content of the film was meant to raise emotion. It focused on martyrs of the Christian Faith under emperor Nero and contained graphic images of Christians being burned at the stake, eaten by lions, or being hacked to death and thrown into pits of burning lime. Not for the faint of heart!



Booth later left the Salvation Army but continued to perform the film. Unfortunately, no copies of the film are known to exist and we now only have the Lantern slides. 


Birth of The Australian Nation - 1901
On January 1st, 1901, the Commonwealth of Australia was formed as a federation of former British colonies.  The Salvation Army Studio was there to film the event with their motion picture cameras and produced what is likely the world's first documentary. 1901 also saw the Limelight studio become Australia's first registered film company - The Australasian Kinematographic Company. 

End Of The Limelight Studio -1909
The limelight studio continued to grow and resulted in an explosion of content creation. Their greatest achievements were between 1901 and 1905 and during this time produced nearly 80% of all Australian made films. 

The traveling arm of the Limelight Deapartment became the Biorama company while the ‘Kinematographic Company’ became the business arm of the Limelight Department. Similar to the Limelight Brigade, the Biorama company had its own touring bands and orchestras traveling around Australia and New Zealand. In the period between 1896 and 1909, over 300 films were produced by the Limelight department for the Limelight Brigade, Biorama, and Government contracts.





However, in 1909 new commissioner, James Hay assumed command of the Australian territory for the Salvation Army.  He felt that filmmaking was not aligned with the mission of the Salvation Army and shut them down.  

"It should be noted that the cinema, as conducted by the Army, has led to a weakness and lightness incompatible with true Salvationism, and was completely ended by me". - James Hay, September 1909. 

The Archives

Lindsay gave me a "behind the scenes" tour of the archives for the Salvation Army in Melbourne which also includes archives for the Limelight studio. They had a great collection of vintage media, printed matter, and Magic Lantern slides.





Here's an original ticket for a multimedia movie and lantern show at the facility from between 1898 and 1901.  Price for a show awas one shilling. (1s/0d) 

We also toured the period performance hall within the building. 


If you find yourself in Melbourne Australia, I suggest a visit to the Limelight studio.  It's a great chance to see one of the early locations from the birth of Cinema history. 

The Salvation Army Australia Museum
Level 4
69 Bourke St.
Melbourne, Australia

Open 9AM -3PM Monday-Friday
Tel: 03-9653-3270
Email: lindsay.cox@salvationarmy.org.au

Monday, March 10, 2025

Lost Trades Fair 2025

 We attended the Lost Trades Fair in Bendigo, Australia on March 8th, 9th, and 10th 2025.  This was an amazing event with a great breadth and depth of craftspeople as well as thousands of attendees.


Vendors Present

This listing is just a very tiny subset of the total vendors present.  Although I was not able to get cards and contact information from everyone, I did manage to collect a few.  

Metalworking And Casting

Soho Metal Spinning - Metal spinning and cookware. 

Website: https://www.sohometalspinning.com.au

Instagram: @sohometalspinningandcookware

I was really amazed at the beauty of the products produced by this vendor.  They had equipment on site and were producing products for the public.  They started with a flat copper disk and were using a spinner to create oil lamps. 





Outlaw Casting - Dave Tatti

Website: Outlaw Castings

Email: dave@outlawcastings.com.au

Instagram: @outlaw_castings

Outlaw castings does custom castings in Aluminum, Brass, and Bronze.  They had a great colletion of products on display available for sale. 


Heritage Patterns - Stuart McCorkelle

Website: https://www.heritagepatterns.com.au/

Email: heritagepatternmaking@gmail.com

Heritage patterns makes custom pattens for metal casting. 


Engraving By Danae

Website: Engraving By Danae

Email: engravingbydanae@gmail.com

Instagram: @engravingbydanae

I was delighted to find an old school engraver present.  Wow this work is amazing!   I'd love to talk to them about making custom union cases or photo frames. 







Golden City Lace - Neil And Kaye Wellington

Website: https://www.goldencitylace.com.au/

Email: goldencitylace@westnet.com.au

Golden City Lace reproduces metalwork from the 1800s. I was fascinated to see these intricate metal adornments on so many older buildings in Bendigo.  I absolutely love them.  Would love to see these on more Victorian style houses in the US.

They appeared to be sharing a space with Outlaw Casting. 


Here's a couple house I saw in Bendigo with similar decoration. 


Rachel Grose Silver 
It was great to see a silversmith with jewelry tools on site. 




Knife and Tool Makers

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Parker Knives Australia - Adam Paker

Website: https://pakerknivesaustralia.com

Email: parkerknives@hotmail.com

Instagram: @parkerknivesaustralia

Adam parker makes custom knives and had a great assortment available. I actually ended up purchasing a knife as a souvenir. 



Here's the one I chose to bring home. 




McIntyre Knives - Shawn Mcintyre

Website: http://www.mcintyreknives.com/

Email: mcintyreknives@gmail.com

Instagram: @mcintyreknives




Axe Men - Pete Hentje

Website: https://engineeredforaxemen.com.au/

Instagram: @engineeredforaxemen

These axes were beautiful works of art.  It took great self control not to want to buy them all!



Niroc Tools

Website: https://www.niroc.com.au/

Instagram: @niroc_tools






Konrad Sauer

Website: https://www.sauerandsteiner.com

Email: konrad@sauerandsteiner.com

Instagram: @sauer_and_steiner

Konrad's woodworking tools are works of art in their own right. 


The Cabinet Of Scissor Curiosities - Grace Horn

Website: https://www.gracehorne.co.uk/

Instagram: @grace_horne_designs

Grace Horn reproduces vintage scissor designs.  She had some of her work on display and she also taught a class to interested folks. 



The Key Hole Surgeon - Aaron Smith


Email: aaron@thekeyholesurgeon.com.au

Instagram: @keyholesurgeon

Aaron had some great old keys and locks with examples of how ancient locks used to work. 



Leather Working

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Heaps Good Leather Works - Benny Mitchell

Website: https://www.heapsgoodleatherwork.as.me

Email: heapsgoodleatherwork@gmail.com

Instagram: @heapsgoodleatherwork

Benny Mitchell from Heaps Good Leather Work had a wonderful array of products on display.  I was especially interested in a round tool bag.  Though, it sold pretty early on the fair so I purchased a different ones. 


Wooten Shoes

Website: https://wootten.com.au/

Instagram: @wootten

Ever want to buy traditionally built shoes from the cobbler that made them?  Now is your chance!





En Mina Leather - Isabel Atlenza

Website: https://www.enmina.com.au/

Email: hello@enmina.com.au

Instagram: @enmina.leather

Isabel had a great selection of leather items she had created. I purchased a great tool bag from her. 

Woodworking

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Rundell & Rundell Chair Makers- Lise and Glen Rundell

Website:  https://rundellandrundell.com.au

Email: glenalan@me.com

Instagram: @glenrundellchairmaker

The Rundells run the fair.  Though, their journey started in woodworking, and especially, chair making.




Adams Coopering - Tony Adams

Email: aad49563@bigpond.net.au

Instagram: @adamscoopering

Adam Cooper is a 5th generation cooper.  He had a great selection of buckets and barrels on display for sale. We ended up purchasing a bucket from him for AU$160





Textiles

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Ariella Tailor

Website: https://ariella.com.au/

Email: info@ariella.com.au

Instagram: @ariellatailor

Ariella is a 4th generation master tailor who does custom patterns and tailoring. 



Jackie Made This

Website: https://www.jackiemadethis.com.au/

Instagram: @yesjackiemadethis

Jackie had a loom on site and was making fabric right in front of us. 




Redgate Socks 

Instagram:@redgatequiltingredgatesocks

It was amazing to see these vintage sock making machines working away creating beautiful socks.  What a wonderful trade to demonstrate!

There were a lot of sock making machines present.  I was not sure if they were all the same group or not. I think it might have bene multiple groups.  The machines were works of art in of themselves.  Would love to see these demonstrated in the US.  


Bespoke Embroidery - Marita Macklin

Website: https://marita-macklin.square.site/

Email: maritamacklin@hotmail.com

Instagram: @maritamacklinembroidery

Marita had a sewing machine to create custom embroidery. Her treadle was cleverly set up with an electric motor on battery power.  She was working on a blue car when we stopped by.  The whole family was engaged in helping out at the booth. 



Kyneton Handweavers & Spinners Group

Instagram : @spinweave.kyneton



Peak Oil Company

Website: https://www.peakoilcompany.com/

Instagram: @peakoilcompany

Traditional Australian outdoor apparel. 

Crafts People and Specialities

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Living Ink by SoewnEarth

WebSite: https://www.soewnearth.com.au/

Instagram: @soewnearth

So many varieties and colors!



I believe this booth also had some works from a local letter carver: https://www.greghanlonlettercarver.com/ / @gr3gh4nlon

Moonshine Pottery - Tony Barnes

Instagram: @moonshinepottery

Email: moonshinepottery@gcom.net.au

Website: https://www.facebook.com/MoonshinePottery/

There were a few different pottery vendors. All seemed to be high quality and very skilled. 



Snowy Mountains Eucalyptus Oil Company - Owen Davis

Website: https://snowymountainseucalyptusoil.com/

Email: contact@smso.com.au

Instagram: @snowymountainseucalyptusoil

Owen had a still on site with eucalyptus leaves distilling eucalyptus oil. 




Joanna Gair Paper

Website: https://u-beautdesigns.com/vendors/joanna-gair/

Joanna was making paper from scratch on site with a tub of paper pulp at the ready to demonstrate the process. 


Yesterday Once Gain - Anthony Sinclair

Website: https://www.yoaa.com.au/

Email: music@yoaa.com.au

Anthony had a great display of vintage phonographs that he was selling.  He has a large collection and enjoys collecting, repairing, and restoring music machines for sale. 


Lauren Muney - Traditional Silhouette Artist

Website: https://SilhouettesByHand.com

Email: SilhouettesByHand@gmail.com

Instagram: @SilhouettesByHand

Lauren follows the traditional Silhoutte process but cutting portraits from paper cuts portraits with scissors. Shannon had a portrait done as a souvenir. 

She also gave a great talk about her process.


Leigh Guitars
Website: https://www.leighguitars.com/
Instagram: @leigh_guitars

It was great to see a guitar maker. 




Sovereign Hill Wheelwrights 
Instagram: @sovereignhill

Justin from Sovereign Hill did a great demonstration of making coach wheels. 









We also managed to catch Justin back at Sovereign Hill in Ballarat. 


He had made an amazing reproduction darkroom that I'd love to reproduce!








This was an amazing event and an amazing trip.  Certainly worth the airfare and travel to Australia!