Films and TV Shows from the 1890s

poster Panorama from Top of a Moving Train
Panorama from Top of a Moving Train
(2.9/5)
1mn - Documentary
With the cameraman atop a moving train car the viewer is given a one minute glimpse of a French urban area.
poster Divers at Work on the Wreck of the "Maine"
Divers at Work on the Wreck of the "Maine"
(3.0/5)
1mn - Documentary
Divers go to work on a wrecked ship (the battleship Maine that was blown up in Havana harbour during the Spanish-American War), surrounded by curiously disproportionate fish.
poster The Devil in a Convent
The Devil in a Convent
(3.2/5)
3mn - Horror, Comedy, Fantasy
A priest is officiating at a convent, when suddenly he is transformed into the devil, who frightens away the nuns and turns the place into pandemonium.
poster London's Trafalgar Square
London's Trafalgar Square
1mn - Documentary
Moving picture of London's Trafalgar Square traffic, filmed with a kinesigraph.
poster Monkeyshines, No. 1
Monkeyshines, No. 1
1mn - Documentary
Experimental film made to test the original cylinder format of the Kinetoscope and believed to be the first film shot in the United States. It shows a blurry figure in white standing in one place making l…
poster Men Boxing
Men Boxing
1mn - Documentary
Experimental film fragment made with the Edison-Dickson-Heise experimental horizontal-feed kinetograph camera and viewer, using 3/4-inch wide film.
poster Newark Athlete
Newark Athlete
1mn - Documentary
Experimental film fragment made with the Edison-Dickson-Heise experimental horizontal-feed kinetograph camera and viewer, using 3/4-inch wide film.
poster President McKinley's Inauguration
President McKinley's Inauguration
1mn -
This film was shot on March 4, 1897 and is historic because it was the first footage shot of a sitting American President.
poster Demolition of a Wall
Demolition of a Wall
1mn - Documentary
Auguste Lumière directs four workers in the demolition of an old wall at the Lumière factory. One worker is pressing the wall inwards with a jackscrew, while another is pushing it with a pick. When the wa…
poster Fencing
Fencing
1mn - Documentary
Early Edison short showing two men fencing.
poster Corbett and Courtney Before the Kinetograph
Corbett and Courtney Before the Kinetograph
(2.7/5)
1mn - Documentary
James J. Corbett and Peter Courtney meet in a boxing exhibition.
poster Horse Shoeing
Horse Shoeing
1mn - Documentary, Drama
One of the pictures to be seen in the machine, for example, was that of a blacksmith shop in which two men were working, one shoeing a horse, the other heating iron at the forge. One would be seen to driv…
poster Leonard-Cushing Fight
Leonard-Cushing Fight
1mn - Documentary
In the background, five fans lean on the ropes looking into the ring. The referee is to the left; like the fans, he hardly moves as two fighters swing roundhouse blows at each other. Mike Leonard, in whit…
poster The Magician
The Magician
(3.2/5)
1mn - Fantasy, Drama
In this scene is shown a magician behind an ordinary table, upon which he suddenly and mysteriously causes to appear a large box, into which he leaps. The sides of the box fall to the ground, but instead …
poster Baby's Meal
Baby's Meal
1mn - Documentary, Family
A father, a mother and a baby are sitting at a table, on a patio outside. Dad is feeding Baby her lunch, while Mum is serving tea.
poster Rough Sea at Dover
Rough Sea at Dover
1mn - Documentary
The surf pounds against a breakwater on which are visible several people standing. The wall looks to be about 20 feet above sea level and extend at least 100 feet into the water. A large wave rolls pictur…
poster Bucking Broncho
Bucking Broncho
1mn - Documentary, Western
Lee Martin, one of the cowboy stars in 'Buffalo Bill's Wild West', rides a bronco as a crowd looks on. While the horse is trying to throw Martin off its back, another cowboy stands on top of a fence rail …
poster Buffalo Dance
Buffalo Dance
(2.7/5)
1mn - Documentary, Western
Long before Hollywood started painting white men red and dressing them as 'Injuns' Edison's company was using the genuine article! Featuring for what is believed to be the Native Americans first appearanc…
poster Carmencita
Carmencita
(2.9/5)
1mn - Documentary
The first woman to appear in front of an Edison motion picture camera and possibly the first woman to appear in a motion picture within the United States. In the film, Carmencita is recorded going through…
poster Snowball Fight
Snowball Fight
(3.4/5)
1mn - Documentary, Comedy
Wintertime in Lyon. About a dozen people, men and women, are having a snowball fight in the middle of a tree-lined street. The cyclist coming along the road becomes the target of opportunity. He falls off…