At the turn of the 20th century, motion picture technology offered a new way to bring distant places and peoples to growing urban audiences. The Field Museum’s Moving Image Collection captures the Museum’s role in scientific exploration, cross-cultural encounters, and public education, while also showcasing early examples of historical and ethnographic filmmaking.

Many films were produced in-house by the Motion Picture Division, established after World War II, and vividly document the early decades of the century. A substantial portion dates to the 1920s and 30s, when Museum-sponsored expeditions used film to record their work and the daily lives of people they encountered.

The collection includes rare footage of Arctic, North American, Central American, and Middle Eastern cultures at a time when scientists sought to capture moments of natural and human life before they were altered by modernization. These films also offer valuable footage of archaeological excavations, travel narratives, and the beginnings of eco-tourism. 

These films played a key role in Museum education, featuring in the Field’s Saturday film series for more than 40 years, until the late 1960s.