Rebecca J. Miller Collection (16.2.51)

Historical note

As a RISD student, Rebecca J. Miller learned of an orphaned 1940s film by reknowned documentary filmmaker Robert J. Flaherty, documenting the calligraphy and stone-carving skills of RISD professor John Howard Benson. The film was originally commissioned by Museum Director Gordon Washburn and funded by RISD donors. There were several unsuccessful attempts in the 1950s to complete the silent film using Flaherty's original film footage along with new footage created by Charles Arnold, Jr., hired by the RISD President to finish the film. Rebecca Miller was granted access to the 16mm film material (1940s-1950s) that had been deposited in the RISD Museum as well as correspondence in the Museum Director's correspondence files (Collection Number 23.1.3). She filmed several interviews with individuals involved in the original 1944 project including: Fisher Benson, John Benson's widow; filmmaker Richard Leacock, who assisted Robert Flaherty; and Gordon Washburn, RISD's former Museum Director, who commissioned the film from Flaherty and who was the nephew of Frances (Mrs. Robert) Flaherty. Miller's film was unfinished at the time that she graduated from RISD in 1978 and her unedited film, audio recordings, and research material were eventually donated to the RISD Archives in 2015.