Missouri History Museum

Following the 1903 release of the first movie in film history, The Great Train Robbery, there was an explosion in the number of moving picture theaters built around the country, and open-air venues called airdomes helped make movies a popular summer evening entertainment. St. Louis opened at least three airdomes in the years between 1909 and 1912: The Delmar, the Mozart, and the West End Lyric. The poster seen in this photo on the Delmar Air Dome’s fence advertised a French film, The Bondsman’s Fate released by the Pathe Freres Company in 1909.