From Ephemera to Art: The Birth of Film Preservation and the Museum of Modern Art Film Library

The medium of film has occupied an important space in the public consciousness since the first public screenings of moving images took place in the 1890s. From its inception, film was commonly seen as a disposable object, designed for the entertainment of the masses, but having little artistic or historical value. From the 1890s to the 1930s numerous individuals and institutions argued for the importance of preserving film, but it was not until the creation of the Museum of Modern Art Film Library-the first film archive in the United States-that film was finally recognized as a valuable and unique art form worthy of preservation.