The Brenkert Brenograph Jr. was a

projector A projector or image projector is an optical device that projects an image (or moving images) onto a surface, commonly a projection screen. Most projectors create an image by shining a light through a small transparent lens, but some newer types ...

used in

atmospheric theatres An atmosphere () is a layer of gas or layers of gases that envelop a planet, and is held in place by the gravity of the planetary body. A planet retains an atmosphere when the gravity is great and the temperature of the atmosphere is low. A ...

to project moving clouds over ceilings painted blue. The effect created the illusion that theatre patrons were outdoors. The device was used primarily in theatre designs of

John Eberson John Adolph Emil Eberson (January 2, 1875 – March 5, 1954) was an Austrian-American architect best known for the development and promotion of movie palace designs in the atmospheric theatre style. He designed over 500 theatres in his lifetime, e ...

The machine was manufactured by the Brenkert Light Projection Company of Detroit. The company sold the projector for $225 in the 1920s. The projector operated automatically with a universal electrical motor, capable of varying speeds. It used a powerful 1500 watt light bulb to display

nimbus Nimbus, from the Latin for "dark cloud", is an outdated term for the type of cloud now classified as the nimbostratus cloud. Nimbus also may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Halo (religious iconography), also known as ''Nimbus'', a ring of ligh ...

and

cumulus cloud Cumulus clouds are clouds which have flat bases and are often described as "puffy", "cotton-like" or "fluffy" in appearance. Their name derives from the Latin ''cumulo-'', meaning ''heap'' or ''pile''. Cumulus clouds are low-level clouds, gener ...

s. The clouds were images on a strip of negatives that moved continuously in front of the light. The negatives were affixed to a circular disc that rotated once every 105 minutes—about the length of a typical performance. The projector was small enough to be hidden in the theatre architectural design so that the illusion of floating clouds would be maintained.

Notes and references

* Craig, Robert M. Atlanta Architecture: Art Deco to Modern Classic, 1929–1959. Gretna, LA: Pelican Pub., 1974, p. 74. * Hoffman, Scott L. A Theatre History of Marion, Ohio: John Eberson's Palace and Beyond. Charlotte, NC: The History Press, 2015, p. 30, 32–34, 62. * Welling, David. Cinema Houston: From Nickelodeon to Cineplex. Austin, TX: U. Texas P., 2010, p. 54. * ''The Pantagraph'' (Bloomington, IL), May 22, 1983, p. 13. Projectors {{film-tech-stub