Lotte Reiniger
Paper Silhouette Used in "The Adventures of Prince Achmed" , c. 1926
Cardboard and lead affixed to card-stock
22 1/2 x 18 1/2 inches overall
With captions, Reiniger's initials and date mount recto.
With captions, Reiniger's initials and date mount recto.
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An incredible primary object from a pioneering artist, this articulating paper silhouette was created by Lotte Reiniger to depict the title character in her 1926 film The Adventures of Prince...
An incredible primary object from a pioneering artist, this articulating paper silhouette was created by Lotte Reiniger to depict the title character in her 1926 film The Adventures of Prince Achmed, widely considered the first feature-length animated film. The puppet is is constructed from finely cut black cardboard and thin led, jointed together with wire hinges. Because of Achmed's importance in the film (he is the lead, after all), the puppet has a number of moveable limbs and a wide range of movement.
Reiniger began her career in animation in the early 1920s, working with her new husband, Carl Koch. Together, they developed an animation technique using cutout silhouettes, which they called "shadow theater." This process drew from her knowledge of scherenschnitte, a decorative paper-cutting technique she learned as a child, but was also heavily inspired by Wayang,a Javanese form of puppet theater.
Based on “Arabian Nights,” Prince Achmed was developed in Pottsdam, at the studio of backer Louis Hagen. With a score by the German composer Wolfgang Zeller, the film premiered at the Berlin People’s Theatre in 1926, after three years of development, when Reiniger was just 27 years old. When the film premiered in Paris it was seen by filmmaker Jean Renoir, who later recalled he wished to tell Reiniger, “You have fairy hands.”
Reiniger and her husband fled Germany in 1942, eventually settling in London, where she made films for the BBC. Her work began receiving renewed appreciation and scholarship in the 1970s. In 1970, the Museum of Modern Art made a short film about her work and in 1972 she was recognized with the Golden Reel Award at the Berlin Film Festival for her contributions to German cinema. She passed away in 1981. Her influence can be seen in the work of countless animators, filmmakers and artists from Walt Disney to Tim Burton.
Reiniger began her career in animation in the early 1920s, working with her new husband, Carl Koch. Together, they developed an animation technique using cutout silhouettes, which they called "shadow theater." This process drew from her knowledge of scherenschnitte, a decorative paper-cutting technique she learned as a child, but was also heavily inspired by Wayang,a Javanese form of puppet theater.
Based on “Arabian Nights,” Prince Achmed was developed in Pottsdam, at the studio of backer Louis Hagen. With a score by the German composer Wolfgang Zeller, the film premiered at the Berlin People’s Theatre in 1926, after three years of development, when Reiniger was just 27 years old. When the film premiered in Paris it was seen by filmmaker Jean Renoir, who later recalled he wished to tell Reiniger, “You have fairy hands.”
Reiniger and her husband fled Germany in 1942, eventually settling in London, where she made films for the BBC. Her work began receiving renewed appreciation and scholarship in the 1970s. In 1970, the Museum of Modern Art made a short film about her work and in 1972 she was recognized with the Golden Reel Award at the Berlin Film Festival for her contributions to German cinema. She passed away in 1981. Her influence can be seen in the work of countless animators, filmmakers and artists from Walt Disney to Tim Burton.