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Mitchell and Kenyon Unidentified Fiction Offcuts

Mitchell and Kenyon Unidentified Fiction Offcuts

Two tantalising fragments of Mitchell and Kenyon's fiction films - but what do they tell us?

What to make of these two tiny fragments? Just a few seconds long, they were probably kept to use as 'leader' for other films - good business sense given the cost of film stock. But they hint at bigger questions - how many of the hundreds of rolls of Mitchell and Kenyon films found in 1994 are themselves just discarded offcuts? How far can we know that we're seeing what audiences saw at the time?

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From the collection

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.

18 videos in this collection

Intriguing fragments of Victorian and Edwardian footage left behind by Mitchell and Kenyon
1

Mitchell and Kenyon Miscellaneous Offcuts

  • 1900
Victorian industrial workers leave their factory after a demanding day.
2

Factory Exit in Lincoln (1900)

  • Lincoln
  • 1900
How did these Chinese gentlemen end up in a Blackburn basement?
3

Unidentified Chinese Men (c.1900)

  • 1900
Can you identify this street corner, or perhaps a young face in the parade?
4

Parade of Schoolchildren (c.1902)

  • 1903
An assortment of Edwardian workers, including many mischievous children who are far from camera-shy.
5

Textile Workers Leaving a Factory (c.1901)

  • 1901
Well-heeled Edwardian workers head home after work.
6

Workers Leaving a Factory in Wigan (1902)

  • Wigan
  • 1902
7

Scene Outside a Factory (c.1902)

  • 1902
Could the newspaper boy tell us where this factory was?
8

Employees Leaving a Factory (c.1901)

  • 1901
A mysterious but vivid snapshot of Edwardian life.
9

Street Scenes in North of England (c.1902)

  • 1902
An unidentified workplace is the scene of a vivid slice of turn-of-the-century life.
10

Factory Gate Exit (c.1901)

  • 1901
It's home time for men and women at an imposing but unidentified workplace - or two?
11

Exit of Clerical and Factory Workers (c.1901)

  • 1900
A diverse workforce make their way from the factory, perhaps a Lancashire cotton mill?
12

Unidentified Factory Gate Exit in Lancashire (c.1900)

  • Lancashire
  • 1900
Victorian factory workers head for home, dodging puddles along the way.
13

Workforce Leaving a Factory in the North of England (c.1900)

  • 1900
Mystery workers hurry through cobbled streets
14

Unidentified Factory Gate (c.1900)

  • 1900
An unidentified factory is the setting for some lively Victorian characters.
15

Workers Leaving a Factory (1900)

  • 1900
Two tantalising fragments of Mitchell and Kenyon's fiction films - but what do they tell us?
16

Mitchell and Kenyon Unidentified Fiction Offcuts

  • 1902
A large liner draws away from the quay, but where is she headed?
17

Ship Departing from Port (c.1901)

  • 1901
The largely female workforce of an Edwardian Lancashire factory parades past the camera.
18

Factory Exit in Wigan (1901)

  • Wigan
  • 1901
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