Palace Picture House 1955

Category

Library Item

Item no

21054

Title

Palace Picture House 1955

Description

The Palace Picture House on Princes Street is showing an advertisement for the film 'Rear Window'. The building has ornamental stonework around the windows. A Woolworths shop is next door and there are people standing at the tram stop in front of the cinema.

Artist / maker

Harper, John Campbell

Date

1955

Size

16.0 x 21.2cm

Type

Photograph

Location

Edinburgh and Scottish Collection

Cinema-going in the UK reached a peak during and immediately following the Second World War when cinema programmes incorporated newsreels and were effectively used to keep up morale. In the fifties, cinema faced competition from the small screen in the home: television. In 1955, cinema admissions in the UK were 1,182 million compared to 1,635 million in 1946. Cinema makers introduced new technologies and novelty factors to attract audiences back to the big screen. Wide-screen and enhanced colour were developed and 3-D cinema was a short-lived phenomenon where audience members had to wear special glasses. Even Smell-o-vision where scents were pumped into the auditorium was trialled.
Find out more about Edinburgh's cinemas past and present.

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Related subjects

Clothing and dress > Accessories > Hats

Clothing and dress > Garments > Coats

People > Adults > Men

People > Adults > Women

Places > Edinburgh areas > Princes Street

Places > Scotland > Edinburgh

Sport and leisure > Culture > Cinemas