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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?
BreakersBreakers
Non-Fiction18960 minsSilent
A handful of passers-by watch waves breaking gently onto a shore
Unidentified Chinese Men (c.1900)Unidentified Chinese Men (c.1900)
Non-Fiction19002 minsSilent
How did these Chinese gentlemen end up in a Blackburn basement?
Panorama of the Ophir Before Leaving Sydney HarbourPanorama of the Ophir Before Leaving Sydney Harbour
Non-Fiction19001 mins
See the royal yacht Ophir at anchor in Sydney Harbour on its tour of the Empire
Wedding Ceremony in a ChurchWedding Ceremony in a Church
19002 minsSilent
Who doesn't love a wedding? This breezy film squeezes the whole service into two minutes flat
Woman and a Pram HoodWoman and a Pram Hood
Interest film18970 mins
Woman tucks notional baby into prop pram
Street Scene in unidentified European cityStreet Scene in unidentified European city
Non-Fiction18961 minsSilent
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-Fiction19002 minsSilent
Mystery workers hurry through cobbled streets
Unidentified Factory Gate Exit in Lancashire (c.1900)Unidentified Factory Gate Exit in Lancashire (c.1900)
Non-Fiction19001 minsSilent 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-Fiction19011 minsSilent
An expectant crowd gathers for a Victorian public performance.
City Square with ProcessionCity Square with Procession
Non-Fiction18970 minsSilent
This city square plays host to a fantastic procession of mounted soldiers