An unedited travelogue film by Arthur and Kate Tode, a visit to Singapore during the British colonial period. Beginning with harbor shots, moves in to Singapore proper, showing the cityscape as of 1930. Arthur Monroe Tode (1894-1966), and Kate Eisig Tode (1905-1990), who christened their films with the combined nickname "Kahop" (Kate +"Hop") were great 20th century travelers and avid film amateurs who documented their journeys, and edited them with inter-titles perhaps to be shown at parties or meetings of their clubs. The Tode travelogues begin with their honeymoon in the 1920's. In the years that followed they traveled by sea, air, and automobile across the United States and around the world, with a 16mm camera in hand. Actually, there were two 16mm cameras in the family, as you can see Kate filming in some of Arthur's films, so the authorship of individual films is likely mixed.
The Todes were early members of the Circumnavigators Club, and traveled the entire globe by longitude- one of the requirements for membership of the club- at least twice. Arthur, a Chief Engineer and Lieutenant in the Navy in WW I, was the founder of the Propeller Club of New York in 1923, and both the Todes served as officers of the club, created to advocate for the role of the Merchant Marines and marine commerce in general. The films that they made depict countries that in some cases have changed completely, been renamed, or redrawn, and much of the material culture and cultural practices are now utterly transformed. Kate Tode donated the films to the University of Pennsylvania Museum shortly after Arthur's death, before she moved to Australia, around 1979. Arthur Tode's personal papers can be found at the Stephen B. Luce SUNY Maritime College Library.
Other notable contributions of the Todes include establishment of an Aquarium at U.C. San Diego. After Arthur's death, Kate continued being active in environmental and natural world concerns in her adopted country of Australia, where there is still a park named in her honor. The earliest films in the Tode's Penn collection are 16mm black and white diacetate reversal, and are the best preserved of the Tode collection. The University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology is dedicated to the study and understanding of human history and diversity. Founded in 1887, the Penn Museum has conducted more than 400 archaeological and anthropological expeditions around the world.
This material been used for Educational purpose only.
Penn Museum © 1938
