Unidentified Chinese Men (c.1900)
How did these Chinese gentlemen end up in a Blackburn basement?
How did these Chinese gentlemen end up in a Blackburn basement? There were many puzzles among the hundreds of rolls of Mitchell and Kenyon's films rediscovered in 1995, and this is perhaps the greatest. The subjects seem genuinely Chinese, but who filmed them, when and where? We're certain it wasn't shot by Mitchell and Kenyon. Is it China at all? Perhaps the cameraman's flying hat is a clue.
The architecture and grounds of the second building seem incongruously western, throwing doubt on the location, although western style buildings were far from unknown in early 20th century China. The film was shot on Lumière film stock, so it may be that Mitchell and Kenyon had bought, borrowed or acquired it to show along side their own. M&K certainly never visited China, but Lumière had several cameramen there from the late 1890s, which could make these some of the oldest surviving filmed images of China. If only we could be sure...
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Edwardian Enigmas
Who, what, where? Calling amateur detectives - can you help us solve these mysteries?
We've learned a lot about Mitchell and Kenyon since hundreds of their films were rediscovered in 1995. Research by the University of Sheffield and the BFI revealed a wealth of background detail about the films, the events they depict, how they were commissioned and shown. But a few films have so far stubbornly refused to give up their secrets.
So now's your chance to play amateur detective. Do you recognise this town, that street, those factory gates, that football team... even a face in the crowd? If you can, please let us know. And if you can't, you can still enjoy these heady slices of Edwardian (or Victorian) life.
16 videos in this collection
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Factory Exit in Lincoln (1900)
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Unidentified Chinese Men (c.1900)
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Parade of Schoolchildren (c.1902)
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Textile Workers Leaving a Factory (c.1901)
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Workers Leaving a Factory in Wigan (1902)
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Scene Outside a Factory (c.1902)
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Employees Leaving a Factory (c.1901)
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Street Scenes in North of England (c.1902)
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Factory Gate Exit (c.1901)
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Exit of Clerical and Factory Workers (c.1901)
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Workers at Ross & Hardy Paper Works (1901)
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Unidentified Factory Gate Exit in Lancashire (c.1900)
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Workforce Leaving a Factory in the North of England (c.1900)
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Unidentified Factory Gate (c.1900)
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