Innovation. It’s at the core of who Da-Lite is as a company. It has been since a young inventor changed the movie-viewing world in 1909.
Films were barely 10 years old at the time (only 3 if you go by the first feature-length film in 1906). An aluminum cookware demonstrator in Chicago by the name of Adele De Berri was fascinated by the reflective nature of silver paint and its potential to create a better projection surface.
She rented the basement of an abandoned church and began testing. Coat after coat of paint went on the walls until she ultimately found the right mix that worked on canvas. Adele took her invention and sold it to area vaudevilles and motion picture houses. Audiences loved the brighter, crisper image.
Before you knew it, her “silver screens” were everywhere. In fact, that’s where the famous phrase the Silver Screen comes from.
At the time when businesswomen were rare and couldn’t vote, Adele established a business that would revolutionize the industry. Her innovation and passion have been part of the company’s DNA ever since.
For over 100 years, Da-Lite has channeled the inspiration of Adele to create cutting-edge technologies that move AV forward.