Videodisc, Digital

Fritzie's "Children's House"

DVD-R containing a transfer of the silent film, "A Day at Children's House, Detroit, Michigan," transferred from 16mm films held at the National Archives. The film features scenes of children working on various arts projects as well as interior shots of Children's House.

Following an opening title card, the film shows scenes of children arriving at the Children's House via taxi. They enter the building and hang their coats up in one of the rooms. The camera then pans around the space, showing the extent of the children's artwork which decorates the walls. Scenes follow showing the children working in different media, each announced by title cards, and followed by spreads of their finished works. These scenes feature woodworking, clay, painting, and lino cuts. One student is then shown constructing a record player and several model machines out of wood and electronic components. Additional scenes of block printing, papier-mâché mask making, and "painting large decorative panels" follow before the film abruptly ends.

The DVD was part of an exhibition called "Drawn to Art: Art Education and the American Experience 1800-1950." The exhibition was held at the Huntington Library in Pasadena, California from 2003-04.