Elias Burton Holmes (January 8, 1870 – July 22, 1958) was an American traveler, photographer and filmmaker credited with the invention of the "travelogue",[1] though the term itself was apparently coined in 1898 by John Bowker.

In 1893, after sending out 2,000 invitations to a select group of people from Chicago, Holmes gave two sold-out talks about a recent trip to Japan.

[4] In the years that followed, Holmes traveled extensively: North and South America, Europe, Russia, India, Ethiopia and Burma (now Myanmar).

He visited the first modern Olympics in 1896, rode the first trans-Siberian train, and shot what may be the first movies ever made of Japan, in 1899, as well as the first recorded video footage of Korea.

As Holmes became more well-known, he brought along assistants, such as Andre de la Varre, to shoot film and stills while he made notes for his lectures, and he also employed a business manager.