First Women of Hollywood: Female Pioneers in the Early Motion Picture Business

Largely created by immigrants, the film industry evolved over its first few decades thanks to the work of people outside the traditional ruling class—
immigrants, people of color, women—partly as a result of elites denigrating the fledgling field. As the moving picture industry transitioned from neophyte to powerhouse, young and ambitious rebels energized its output.

Mostly written out of history, women provided an important component for popularizing silent film and making it a financial ...