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Victorian Mysteries
There's a lot we can learn about early films from producers' and exhibitors' catalogues, in contemporary accounts in newspapers or the trade press, or by examining the original celluloid film. But sometimes, try as we might, the archivists and historians draw a blank. Where and when was this film shot, and who by? Is it British? French? American? Egyptian? What does it mean?
Maybe you can help...
We've collected here some of the earliest films in the BFI's collections (at least they seem to be), which we wish we knew more about. So grab your deerstalker and your magnifying glass, and put your observational skills to the test on this enigmatic assortment. Can you recognise a building, a landscape, a military uniform?
Breakers Breakers
Non-Fiction 1896 0 mins Silent
A handful of passers-by watch waves breaking gently onto a shore
Unidentified Chinese Men (c.1900) Unidentified Chinese Men (c.1900)
Non-Fiction 1900 2 mins Silent
How did these Chinese gentlemen end up in a Blackburn basement?
Panorama of the Ophir Before Leaving Sydney Harbour Panorama of the Ophir Before Leaving Sydney Harbour
Non-Fiction 1900 1 mins
See the royal yacht Ophir at anchor in Sydney Harbour on its tour of the Empire
Wedding Ceremony in a Church Wedding Ceremony in a Church
1900 2 mins Silent
Who doesn't love a wedding? This breezy film squeezes the whole service into two minutes flat
Crude Set Drama Crude Set Drama
Comedy 1896 1 mins Silent
A basic bit of early comic storytelling on film
Woman and a Pram Hood Woman and a Pram Hood
Interest film 1897 0 mins
Woman tucks notional baby into prop pram
Street Scene in unidentified European city Street Scene in unidentified European city
Non-Fiction 1896 1 mins Silent
Few clues to who shot these Victorian scenes on an unknown bridge, and where.
Unidentified Factory Gate (c.1900) Unidentified Factory Gate (c.1900)
Non-Fiction 1900 2 mins Silent
Mystery workers hurry through cobbled streets
Unidentified Factory Gate Exit in Lancashire (c.1900) Unidentified Factory Gate Exit in Lancashire (c.1900)
Non-Fiction 1900 1 mins Silent Location: Lancashire
A diverse workforce make their way from the factory, perhaps a Lancashire cotton mill?
Unidentified Park (c.1900) Unidentified Park (c.1900)
Non-Fiction 1901 1 mins Silent
An expectant crowd gathers for a Victorian public performance.
City Square with Procession City Square with Procession
Non-Fiction 1897 0 mins Silent
This city square plays host to a fantastic procession of mounted soldiers