History of Kilburn and West Hampstead

Researching the old newspapers, I was surprised to find that a ‘kinematographer’ had lived briefly in West Hampstead. In this story we look at his career in films. In March 1915 he was looking for work and put an advert in the section ‘Engagements Wanted’ in the trade magazine The Bioscope. It read: Alphonso Frenguelli, camera artist, disengaged, eight years experience, 78 Harvard Court, Honeybourne Road, (West Hampstead) As an important cinematographer and film director at the start of the silent pictures era he was not out of work for long.  He was part of the large Frenguelli family in Rome, where his father was an official artist in the Vatican. Alphonso Goffredo Frenguelli was born there in August 1894. He got into the developing film industry and was the managing director of Celio Films, and then chief cameraman for the famous Cines Co. of Rome. He won the gold medal for cinematography two years in a row at the Italian International film exhibition.  Frenguelli was the l...