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Dolores and Adriana Ehlers were Mexican documentary filmmakers and sisters from the silent era. Adriana was born on September 28th, 1894 and died in 1972 while her younger sister, Dolores, was born on October 17th, 1896 and died on December 13th, 1983. In addition to being filmmakers, they were also photographers, equipment sales people, laboratory workers and government workers. Adriana was also a member of the censorship department in the Mexican Ministry of Government.

Early Life
The duo lived in the city of Veracruz where their mother supported them by working as a midwife after their father's passing. There, the family aligned themselves with anti-Porfirian ideologies and supported the causes of the Revolutionary Generals and the powerful women of the movement. Their experience during the revolutionary period in Mexico would later have an impact on their films

Career in Photography and Move to America
Adriana was forced to drop out of school because of monetary issues. As a result, she began working at a photography studio where she learned various techniques and skills. Believing that she knew enough, Adriana and Dolores opened their own portrait studio in their house. It wasn't long before they became successful, acquiring various clients who were impressed with the artistic style of their portraits. Upon the visitation of the President Venustiano Carranza in Veracruz; the sisters were selected to take his photograph. The president was so pleased with the work they had done that he awarded them with a grant to study photography in Boston.

At 19 and 21 years of age, Dolores and Adriana arrived in the United States on September 4th, 1916. In Boston, the sisters worked in the Champlain Studios where they learned about the commercial aspects of photography. While working at the studio, the Ehlers also attended night school for art teachers.

Career in Film and Return to Mexico
When their grant period expired, the sisters were allocated an extension to study motion-picture cinematography. They subsequently became part of the National Museum of Health and Medicine in Washington, DC which was funded by the US government to produce educational films for soldiers during World War I. Under military regime, the sisters were taught how to shoot, develop, process, and title films. After their service, they completed their education at the Universal Pictures Company in Jacksonville, New Jersey.

After finishing their studies, Adriana and Dolores returned to Mexico in 1919 where they set up their business in their home and called it, "Casa Ehlers". Their business consisted of selling American-made projectors and cameras and teaching their buyers how to use them. They were eventually appointed to the Mexican Ministry of Government. Adriana was appointed as Chief of the Censorship Department while Dolores was appointed as Chief of the Department of Cinematography. As the Chief of Censorship, Adriana was in charge of suppressing demeaning images of Mexico and Mexicans as well as images that might be considered morally offensive.

The films they produced celebrated Mexican national identities by filming parades, protest and historical ruins, adopting ethnographic or archaeological discourses. They toured the country, shooting feature length documentaries and carrying eighty pound cameras. They would process the footage in their laboratory provided by the Department of Cinematography and sell them to exhibitors like schools, factories and charities. Between 1922 and 1929, they even had a weekly newsreel series called Revistas Ehlers/Ehlers Reviews.