1896 Movies

From the BFI Collection, this film is actually two films spliced together into one. The first is Birt Acres' work 'A Corner of Barnet Fair' which is t...

This attractively composed one-shot film offers viewers an uncomplicated view of waves crashing against rocks.

Strong-man Eugene Sandow flexes his muscles and strikes a few poses in front of a black background. This was a short film shot by William K.L. Dickson...

A servant persuades a cellist to play and his errant wife returns.

Seen but not heard? Three children get up to mischief after their mother puts them to bed in this Victorian entertainment. This was one of numerous va...

Parade by military cyclists.

Top-hatted pedestrians and horse-drawn traffic pass over Blackfriars Bridge in London.

Pedestrian and vehicle traffic on the bridge.

This scene of an African-American woman vigorously scrubbing a black baby was immensely popular with early audiences, and was featured on Biograph’s p...

Directed by Robert W. Paul.

A woman dances - preserved in flipbook form.

A man teaches a woman to ride a bycicle. Shot with the Cinématographe Joly-Normandin

Campinos on horseback drive small herds of cattle through the vast area of the traditional fair, before prospective buyers.

A Serpentine dance performance, possibly featuring Loie Fuller (though the record is unclear). While the film is lost, there is a new digital version...

Shot with the Cinématographe Joly-Normandin

Governor Thomas Lord Brassey and his entourage walk past, under the watchful eye of the police and the cheers of the crowd.

One of a few versions of the "arrival of the train" narrative. While the film is lost, there is a new digital version based on re-creation from a flip...

A dramatic dance, filmed by Paul Nadar in 1898. Preserved by Langlois' Cinematheque.

A tram arrives to pick up passengers.