Discover the British Film Institute’s Victorian Film Collection and the Mitchell and Kenyon Collection, as well as a selection of special early large format films. This material provides a glimpse into the lives of the late Victorians and Edwardians captured between 1895 and 1913 by some of Britain’s earliest film pioneers and innovators.

The late Victorian era saw a host of optical inventions and popular entertainments converge into the exciting and revolutionary form of moving pictures, changing the face of visual culture irrevocably. As people experimented with this new format across the world, a number of technical and creative pioneers in Britain were particularly prominent in capturing on film everything from national events and people’s everyday lives to variety acts and fantastical stories. With content dating from 1895 to the beginning of the twentieth century, this resource contains collections of early films from the British Film Institute, and a selection of films from the Eye Filmmuseum, that provide not only an insight into the works of early filmmakers, but also the vibrancy and vigour of late Victorian culture and society.

Across these collections, supported by a number of contextual essays, video interviews and exhibitions written by Victorian Studies and Film History experts, it is possible for researchers to explore:

  • Early filmmaking innovations in editing techniques, special effects, and narrative that informed the future of film.
  • Actuality footage of significant historical events and figures, including Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee in 1897, and her funeral in 1901, the South African War of 1899-1902 (the Second Boer War), the funeral of British Prime Minister William Ewart Gladstone in 1898, and the coronation of Edward VII in 1902.
  • Examples of early popular genres such as phantom rides, trick films and factory gate films.
  • The early film industry, early production companies, and film as a commodity, particularly in relation to local communities in Britain.
  • Scenes of late Victorian and Edwardian urban environments and industries, scenic countryside, fairgrounds, sporting events, seaside towns and global travel.
  • The interconnected nature of early British filmmakers and their production companies, as well as their relationships with individual exhibitors and showmen.

To learn more about the context of early film and the pioneers involved, read Professor Joe Kember's essay Contextualising 'Victorians on Film': An Introduction to Early British Film

This resource includes the following collections from the British Film Institute:

 

The Victorian Film Collection

The British Film Institute’s Victorian Film Collection includes content created between 1895 and 1901 by some of the most significant British film pioneers and depicts the dynamic and innovative world of the late Victorians. Showcasing the incredible range and inventiveness of Britain’s youthful film pioneers, including Robert Paul, George Albert Smith, and Birt Acres, the collection includes early experiments in capturing current events, comedies, drama, and fantasy.

These films embody the excitement and fascination with the novelty of capturing and preserving movement on film, whilst also echoing the medium’s innate relationship with early forms of popular entertainments such as the music hall, magic lantern lectures, and panoramas. They reveal elements of the everyday lives of the Victorians themselves, whilst also providing a glimpse into their appetites and attitudes concerning everything from sexuality and scientific advancements to the British Empire, law enforcement and the latest fashions. This collection also includes a selection of large format 68mm British Biograph films restored by the British Film Institute – highly popular in their day for their remarkable quality, these films remain just as breathtaking today.

For more information on the Victorian Film Collection, view the following video interviews with the BFI’s Curator of Silent Film, Bryony Dixon:

 

The Mitchell and Kenyon Collection

The Mitchell and Kenyon Collection features actuality films produced by Blackburn-based businessmen Sagar Mitchell and James Kenyon, who established their Mitchell and Kenyon film company in 1897. It is one of the largest collections of actuality films in the world, and part of UNESCO's UK Memory of the World Register. It was discovered in 1994 in the form of nitrate negatives, researched by a team at the University of Sheffield and restored and digitised by the British Film Institute.

With content dating from 1899 through to 1913, this collection from the Mitchell and Kenyon Company offers an invaluable and unmatched insight into the everyday lives of the late Victorians and Edwardians in the industrial north of England, as well as Ireland and Scotland, whilst also revealing the early implementation of filmmaking as a commercial business. Much of the collection consists of actuality films including scenes of processions, parades, and carnivals, of busy city streets, sporting events, and local communities enjoying key events in the British holiday calendar such as May Day and Whitsuntide. Edwardians promenading along piers at seafronts, watching the spectacle of Fire Brigade turn outs, and cities seen from the front of trams are also popular subject matter. A small number of fiction films, including comedies and re-enactments of current events also feature.

The collection is particularly well known for its large number of ‘factory gate’ films, capturing footage of local communities leaving their places of work and then exhibiting those films to those communities – sometimes later the same day – allowing them to enjoy the novelty of seeing themselves on screen. Capturing the faces of thousands of workers reacting variously to the camera, these films are endlessly captivating, and with the visible presence of showmen and travelling exhibitors directing the crowds, they provide a fascinating insight into the early film business. Similar films from Ireland featuring congregations leaving church services are equally as enchanting.

For more information on the Mitchell and Kenyon Collection, view the following video interviews with the lead curator and researcher of the collection, Professor Vanessa Toulmin:

 

Early Large Format Films Collection

We have included in this resource a special selection of early large format films, many of which originate from companies outside of Britain, providing additional context and insight into early filmmaking and turn-of-the-century scenes from across the world. The films in this collection were all captured on either 60mm or 68mm film, giving them an astounding level of quality that reveals fascinating details within the moving images. Restored by the British Film Institute and the Eye Filmmuseum, we have a selection of beautiful 68mm films made by the British, American, and Dutch branches of the Mutoscope and Biograph Company, including scenes from Britain, the Netherlands, France, Italy, and Austria-Hungary. From the British Film Institute, we also include a number of 60mm films from the French production company Gaumont featuring beautiful scenes from France and other European scenes. The majority of the films in this collection are actualities, featuring scenic views, expressions of culture, scenes of royalty, and even the first footage ever captured of Pope Leo XIII. These are accompanied by some wonderful examples of early comedies and dramas.

For more information on the large format films featured in this collection, view the following contextual pieces from BFI Silent Film Curator Bryony Dixon:

The films in this resource have each been tagged with themes and genres, allowing users to easily browse the most useful content according to their individual research needs.

It is possible to browse the resource by the following themes:

  • Children and Animals
  • Cityscapes and Street Scenes
  • Fantasy, Magic and the Imagination
  • Film Techniques and Innovations
  • Gender, Sexuality and Eroticism
  • Global Travel
  • Industry and Working Life
  • Leisure and Pastimes
  • Military and Warfare
  • Popular Entertainments and Celebrity
  • Religion, Traditions and Local Customs
  • Royalty and the British Empire
  • Science and Nature
  • Sporting Events
  • Transport and Scenic Views

It is possible to browse the resource by the following genres:

  • Actuality
  • Amateur Film
  • Comedy
  • Drama and Performance
  • Factory Gate Film
  • Panorama
  • Phantom Ride
  • Re-enactments and Reconstructions
  • Travelogue
  • Trick Film

For more information on browsing pathways within this resource, see the Searching Guide.

A variety of research tools provide information and guidance for teaching and research. From essays and video interviews to biographies and exhibitions, explore the options under Research Tools or view the full list in Teaching Tools.

The majority of the metadata accompanying the films in this resource has been taken from the catalogues of the British Film Institute and the Eye Filmmuseum. The AM editorial team have supplemented this with additional subject terms, themes, and places where appropriate, as well as adding short summaries for each film, and accompanying content warnings where applicable.

Information in the following metadata fields has been provided by the British Film Institute or the Eye Filmmuseum:

  • Object Number
  • Collection
  • Title
  • Title Type
  • Other Titles
  • Series Title
  • Production Date
  • Release Date
  • Copyright Date
  • Genre (with some updates from the AM editorial team)
  • Fiction / Non Fiction (with some updates from the AM editorial team)
  • Production Company
  • Production Country
  • BFI Curators Contextual Pieces (with some updates from the AM editorial team)
  • Synopsis (with some updates from the AM editorial team)
  • Shot List (with some updates from the AM editorial team)
  • Subjects (with some updates from the AM editorial team)
  • Director
  • Producer
  • Photography
  • Sponsor
  • Commissioning Company
  • Author of the Original Work
  • Additional Photography
  • Camera Operator
  • Processor
  • Script
  • Cast
  • Intertitles / Dialogue (with some updates from the AM editorial team)
  • Sound
  • Colour Format
  • Film Format

The following metadata fields and information have been added by the AM editorial team:

  • Copyright and Source Archive
  • Duration
  • Summary
  • Note on Synopsis and Shot List
  • Language Statement
  • Theme
  • Places
  • Country Featured
  • People
  • Content Warning
  • Related Essay

Some of the archival catalogue information presented in this site was written and compiled many years ago and it may contain antiquated language and terminology. For more information on language and terminology within this resource, please see our Language Statement.

Metadata from the British Film Institute includes BFI Curators Contextual Pieces which were written by BFI Curators and other specialists in their fields. A list of these contributors can be found on the British Film Institute page in this resource.

Metadata from the British Film Institute and the Eye Filmmuseum also includes some detailed Synopsis, Shot List and Production information for many of the films. This information often includes additional contextual information and notes, along with the sources of this information. Some of these sources include film catalogues contemporary to the content in this resource, whilst other sources are more recent academic works on film history. A list of some of the most frequently referenced academic works can be found on the British Film Institute page in this resource.