Hoffmann’s 1939 Park Odyssey

From the Ellwood F. Hoffmann (1885-1966) Home Movie Collection, this 1939 silent film documents a 12,000-mile journey across Northeast and Southwest U.S. National Parks. Shot in Kodacolor or black-and-white with a dashboard-mounted camera, it likely captures Acadia’s rugged coast, Yellowstone’s geysers, and Grand Canyon’s vistas. Hoffmann, a retired Philadelphia hosiery magnate, narrated these reels with humor for groups like the horticultural society, preserving his epic road trip until his tragic 1966 death.