Exactus Photo-Film Corporation

Established in 1914, the Exactus Photo-Film Corporation and the Palo Alto Film Corporation produced educational and historical films for use in the classroom. Harry C. Peterson seved on the Board of Directors and as an officer in both companies; various of his papers are included in this collection.

Exactus Photo Film Corporation of Palo Alto was incorporated on August 28, 1914. The first president and general manager was Thomas Kimmwood Peters and the vice-president was Harry C. Peterson. The purpose of the company was to produce, sell, rent, and exchange educational and industrial moving picture films for the use of educational institutions. The company folded in 1916.

HISTORICAL NOTE

The Exactus Photo Film corporation of Palo Alto was officially incorporated on August 28 1914. The earlier part of that year had been spent in preliminary organization, establishing contacts, and deciding on a suitable site for an outdoor studio. With the incorporation, Exactus stated that its purpose was "to produce, sell, rent and exchange educational and industrial moving picture films for the use of schools, academies, and universities throughout the state of California, and later throughout the United States."

The first President and General Manager was Thomas Kimmwood Peters. Mr. Peters, according to the various promotional brochures in the collection, began his work in the motion picture industry with Pathe Freres in France about 1899. He apparently gained experience with various companies in Europe in nearly every branch of the business. His inventions included several models of the Exactus camera, complete descriptions and scale drawings of which may be found in the collection.

The Vice-President, Harry C. Peterson, was for many years director of the Stanford Museum and member of several state-wide professional and historical associations. He was one of the few officers and directors to remain through the difficult two year existence of the Exactus Corporation. His correspondence from 1915 to 1917, particularly with Harold Ide Cruzan, throws a great deal of light on the reasons for the failure of the company.

David Lever, a teacher, journalist, and business manager of the Sierra Education News, was elected first Secretary of the Corporation. He had come from San Francisco with Peters. Both he and Peters had been associated with the Cosmos Film Company in that city. The Cosmos Company may have been a separate organizations, but there is evidence to support the assumption that it was the name adopted during the preliminary stages of organization and was changed to Exactus when it was incorporated.

Guy C. Miller, Assistant Secretary, was manager of the Stanford Bookstore and historiographer of the Palo Alto Historical Association. Treasurer, H. F. Congdon, was cashier of the Palo Alto Bank and member of the firm of Congdon & Crome, dealers in educational supplies. City Attorney of Palo Alto and Mayfield, Norman E. Malcolm, served as attorney for the Corporation.

Aside from these elected executive officers, the Exacts Corporation boasted an impressive list of educators drawn from all parts of California to serve on the Board of Directors or as consultants. It certainly seemed that such a company would be a great success in producing educational films. By December, 1916, however, Mr. Peterson and a few others held an auction of the last equipment and furnishings from the Palo Alto studio to try to raise some of the money needed to pay creditors. The remaining stocks and a few other items were turned over to the Palo Alto Film Company which had been organized in 1915.

Lack of business talent and lack of salesmanship in obtaining financial backing helped cause the failure of the Exactus corporation, but there were certainly other contributing factors. A clash of personalities and the misunderstandings between educators and technicians made the collapse almost inevitable. In spite of all this difficulty, however, the technical quality and educational value of the Exactus films seem never to have been questioned. Their scenarios now seem awkward and amusing, yet at the Panama-Pacific International Exposition in 1915, the Exactus Photo-Film Corporation won two gold medals and one bronze medal.