1920 to 1956

Collection contains [Bell--home movies], family scenes at home in Hancock Point, Maine, and Pennsylvania, vacationing across the United States, and cruising around the world. Footage encompasses golfing, tennis, picnics, pets, Christmas, swimming, weddings, tourism, and more, including the shipboard entertainments of shuffleboard and mock wrestling. The world travel reels include India, China, Italy, Japan, France, Egypt, Indonesia, and Thailand. In France, the Bells photographed Paris street scenes, military graveyards, children playing in a garden, and, from their train car, the countryside. The Collection also contains two commercial news shorts, "The Coronation of Their Majesties King George VI and Queen Elizabeth," and the Castle Films News Parade, "Midway and Coral Sea Battles."

The family home in Hancock Point, Maine, named Bellview, was built around 1920 and became the Bells’ year round residence in 1932. Prior to 1932, Ned and Dorrice Bell lived in Pennsylvania.