The Essanay Film Manufacturing Company

Credits

Descriptions by
Logophile

Captures by
Logophile

Background

The Essanay Film Manufacturing Company was a prominent film studio of the silent era founded in Chicago in 1907 by George K. Spoor and Gilbert M. Anderson. Originally founded under the name the Peerless Film Manufacturing Company, it was changed to its well-known name shortly after. Later on, they opened a branch up in Niles, California. Under the studio, their films had some of the biggest stars to come from the era, including Ben Turpin and Charlie Chaplin. After some financial struggles, they formed a distribution pact with Vitagraph Studios, Lubin Manufacturing Company, and Selig Polyscope Company called V-L-S-E, Incorporated. Unfortunately, the studio didn't last too long after that and what remained of them would be absorbed by Warner Bros. in 1925.

Logo (1913-1918)

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Visuals: On a black background, there is a drawing of a head of a stereotypical Native American (complete with warbonnet) facing left. Underneath, there is the stylized word "Essanay".

Variant: Sometimes, the head is stylized a bit and the text is flatter.

Technique: A painting filmed by a camera.

Audio: The opening soundtrack to the film.

Availability: Seen on silent films they produced, with one of them being the Charlie Chaplin film The Tramp.