On June 26, 1896, the 400-seat Vitascope Hall was opened at the corner of Canal Street and Exchange Place in New Orleans by William T. Rock.
For 10 cents, viewers could peer into the projection room; for another 10 cents, they could see the Edison Vitascope projector.
A popular film of the time was May Irwin Kiss, one of the first movies to portray any form of onscreen sex.