Vitagraph Company

American movie studio

Also known as: Vitagraph Studios

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July 14, 2026

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The Vitagraph Company was a pioneering American movie studio. In 1906, J. Stuart Blackton created the first film-based animation, Humorous Phases of Funny Faces, for Vitagraph, launching a successful series of animated films. Vitagraph was a significant player in the early film industry, contributing to the development of animation and other cinematic innovations.1

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Mabel Normand
She then worked for the Vitagraph studio until late 1911, when she returned to Biograph. During this period she played both comic and dramatic roles, sometimes under the studio-assigned name of Muriel Fortescue.
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She then worked for the Vitagraph studio until late 1911, when she returned to Biograph. During this period she played both comic and dramatic roles, sometimes under the studio-assigned name of Muriel Fortescue.
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J. Stuart Blackton
Smith established Vitagraph; in 1899 they were joined by William T. Rock. Their first film, The Burglar on the Roof (1897), was followed by a long series of film successes that made Blackton a millionaire. He left Vitagraph for a while but returned to work for the…
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Smith established Vitagraph; in 1899 they were joined by William T. Rock. Their first film, The Burglar on the Roof (1897), was followed by a long series of film successes that made Blackton a millionaire. He left Vitagraph for a while but returned to work for the…
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Harry Warren
…as a property man for Vitagraph Studios and later played piano to accompany its silent films. He apprenticed as staff pianist and song promoter for the music publishers Stark & Cowan, who bought his first song, “Rose of the Rio Grande,” in 1922.
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…as a property man for Vitagraph Studios and later played piano to accompany its silent films. He apprenticed as staff pianist and song promoter for the music publishers Stark & Cowan, who bought his first song, “Rose of the Rio Grande,” in 1922.
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