In 1892, ThomasEdison opened the world's first movie studio in West Orange, NewJersey. The formal name of the place was the Kinetographic Theater, but it was more commonly known as the Black Maria.

The common assumption is that it was named after the similarly-colored police prisoner vans, which were nicknamed Black Marias. It seems not unlikely, however, that there is a connection to the BlackMadonna and thus to the NakedGoddess.

Links

• http://www.quinion.com/words/qa/qa-bla1.htm
• http://www.nj.gov/hangout_nj/200206_movies_p2.html
• http://www.nps.gov/edis/virtual%20tour/blackmaria/oldbmpix.htm