This article examines the relationship between technology and the organization of work. Several theoretical positions are outlined and are drawn upon in the context of historical evidence relating to an industry case study. The empirical focus is the early US animation industry and in particular the introduction of cel animation in the second decade of the century and after. Standard histories of major studios and figures are examined, along with the patent applications for the cel animation process. A model of the main elements in the analysis is outlined and its connections with the theoretical positions that centre on technology and work are examined. The analysis emphasizes the importance of the wider institutional environment within which the technology of cel animation was designed and different aspects of its `interpretive flexibility'.
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