Matches: An Appeal

1914
Sound
1m

An innovative animated appeal film for donations to send matches to troops in the First World War

Our soldiers need them! Matches might not be the first essential of trench life, but as British troops faced the grim prospect of Christmas on the front line they would be understandably grateful for any spark. The film was made by Arthur Melbourne-Cooper, a ground-breaking figure in early British cinema and stop-motion animation. However his later memory it was made for the Boer War seems false. Bryant & May's appeal for donations also appeared in newspapers in late 1914 and early 1915, but at no other time.

Early Animation

The dawn of a new celluloid art: Britain's animation pioneers at peace and war

When you're creating a new art form, everything is experimental. The pioneers of animation in Britain cast a range of subjects as the stars of their films - the toys of an Edwardian child; insects and animals; Kaiser Bill and John Bull. But even the richest of fantasies on display here offer a window into the turbulent era in which they were made. When the nation went to war, animation was conscripted to meet its propaganda needs. In peacetime, the industry sought success as an entertainer, but found a career in sales.