Joseph A. Dubray — Little Close-Ups of the A. S. C. (1922) 🇺🇸
Joseph A. Dubray, A. S. C, was born in France, but educated in Italy where he graduated from the School of Chemistry at Milano. His photographic career began in his father’s portrait gallery in France and as he was a student he early specialized in ortho and panchromatic photography making reproductions of classics in the famous art galleries of France, Italy, Spain, Belgium and Holland.
Scientific photography also attracted him and he devoted much time to X-ray microphotography and spectography. His first experiment with motion photography was as early as 1898 and he got his first commercial results in 1899. After six years of free lancing he joined Pathé Frères whom he served in Paris until 1910 when they sent him to the United States. Mr. Dubray maintained this connection until 1913 when he went free-lancing again and visited Cuba, Old Mexico and the West Indies for travel and scenic stuff. Returning to America he joined the Wharton Studios at Ithaca, New York, and remained there until 1914 when he returned to France to fight for the tricolor. In June, 1918, he was assigned to the Fifth Division, U. S. A. as interpreter and served thus until the war ended.
He did no photographic work during the war, being too busy with his rifle to think of pictures, but when the armistice was signed he hurried to New York and immediately was taken on by Famous Players for a four months’ engagement in New York and then came to the coast to become cinematographer for Louis J. Gasnier. In this connection he photographed the Lew Cody pictures and Kismet with Mr. Gasnier directing which recalls that Mr. Dubray and Mr. Gasnier have being associated at intervals since April, 1910. He photographed “A Certain Rich Man” and “A Man of the Forest” for B. B. Hampton, going to Robertson-Cole for a series of pictures. His present connection is with Sessue Hayakawa (早川 雪洲), the Japanese star.
Mr. Dubray is a writer on scientific subjects especially those bearing on photography and his name may often be seen signed to technical articles in The American Cinematographer.
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Collection: American Cinematographer, February 1922
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