Celluloid is a plasticized nitrocellulose material invented in the 1800s as a substitute for ivory and bone. It is highly flammable and not stable to light, but durable and versatile. Celluloid was used for corsets, billiard balls, and film production until the 1940s. Today, it is hard to find due to its disadvantages.
Celluloid is a material obtained by plasticizing nitrocellulose with the help of camphor. This substance was first invented in the 1800s as a substitute for ivory and bone, and its uses have since expanded greatly, perhaps particularly in the film world. By the 1950s, however, celluloid’s disadvantages had led to a general decline in the market for the material, and today it can be hard to find.
Nitrocellulose is made by exposing cellulose to a nitrating agent. When plasticized with camphor, the resulting material is very easy to shape, shape and handle. However, it has a very distinct disadvantage: it is highly flammable. Celluloid is so flammable that it will continue to burn even when immersed in water, making it as serious a fire hazard as you might imagine. It is also not very stable to light, decaying rapidly when exposed to light.
While flammable, celluloid is also extremely durable, making it useful for a wide variety of tasks. In corsets, for example, the material could help hold a shape without rusting, as was the case with metal stays, and the flexibility of celluloid also allowed a certain freedom of movement on the part of the wearer. Celluloid was also used for a short time to make very resistant clothing, although some unfortunate accidents quickly put an end to this practice.
This substance was initially marketed as Parkesine and later as Xylonite. The term “celluloid” was originally a trademark, withdrawn in 1869, but due to the dilution of the trademark, it came to be used more generically to refer to plasticized nitrocellulose, rather than a specific trademark of this product. Originally, celluloid was used to make items such as corset supports, billiard balls, and a variety of other items once made from bone; when its potential as photographic film was realized, celluloid production took off in a major way.
Until the 1940s, films were produced on celluloid. At the time, this proved to be quite dangerous, as screening room fires started easily and were difficult to put out. In retrospect, the widespread use of celluloid was also a great sin, because film yellows and cracks with time, and as a result many great films have been lost to history. Today, acetate and polyester are used to make films, but celluloid still has an iconic place in the film world, thanks to its role in early filmmaking.
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