Breakers
- 1896
Unidentified Factory Gate Exit in Lancashire (c.1900)
A diverse workforce make their way from the factory, perhaps a Lancashire cotton mill?
The presence of the camera is clearly a welcome diversion for these early 20th century workers, many of whom would have enjoyed spotting themselves when the film was screened locally a few days later. The mixed labour force of men, women and children together, and the many shawls and clogs on show, suggests a Lancashire cotton mill, though we've yet to identify either the company or the place.
Victorian Mysteries
A selection of some of the most enigmatic of early British films. Can you help us unlock their secrets?
We can learn a lot 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 try as we might, archivists and historians sometimes draw a blank. Where and when was this film shot, and who by? Is it British? French? American? Egyptian?
We've collected here some of the earliest films in the BFI's collections, 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?
12 videos in this collection
Breakers
Indian Scenes
Unidentified Chinese Men (c.1900)
Soldier Shooting
Panorama of the Ophir before Leaving Sydney Harbour
Wedding Ceremony in a Church
Crude Set Comedy
Woman and a Pram Hood
Street Scene in unidentified European city
Unidentified Factory Gate (c.1900)
Unidentified Factory Gate Exit in Lancashire (c.1900)
