Albert E. Smith (1875-1958) co-founded the Vitagraph Company of America as the Reader, Smith, and Blackton Combination in 1894. He invented the Vitagraph, one of the first successful motion picture projectors, in 1896. The collection consists of correspondence, scrapbooks, albums, photographs, auditor's reports, and trade agreements pertaining to the business of the Vitagraph Company of America, of which Smith was co-founder.

Smith was born in 1875 in Faversham, England; co-founded the Vitagraph Company of America as the Reader, Smith, and Blackton Combination in 1894; Vitagraph producer, writer, and executive with actor and director J. Stuart Blackton until sale of the company to Warner Brothers in 1925; invented the Vitagraph, one of the first successful motion picture projectors, in 1896; had a wife, Lucile, and 6 children; died August 1, 1958 in Los Angeles.

15 boxes (7.5 linear ft.) 6 oversize boxes

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