ABSTRACT
This chapter explores how scholars have been locating fragments of past fan practices, applying the methods of what Daniel Cavicchi terms "historical anthropology". Archaeological approaches can be applied to many other historical moments, to search for historical audiences and fan cultures of the past. The techniques of crafting history "from the bottom up" by social and cultural historians in the 1980s, brought nickelodeon audiences back to scholars' attention. Movie theater managers and other film exhibitors were key audience intermediaries in the study of their local patrons, as it was important to the exhibitors' livelihood to attract and satisfy their local clientele, through film booking choices, building environments, advertising and public relations, theater service and safety measures. Motion Picture Story Magazine, which began in 1911, and Photoplay in 1912, provide an invaluable intermediary source for studying fan culture.
