A footage of children in England being intrigued by a video camera has resurfaced on the internet. According to reports, the colourised clip from 1901 shows a bunch of children gathering around the camera that is filming a busy street in North West England.
Set against the backdrop of a busy cobbled street, the video shows some labourers working about their business; while several children can also be seen stopping and staring at the camera.
Ordinary people were thrilled to be a part of a film recording, considering it was 1901, which was the infant stage of the first motion picture camera - the Kinetograph - which was only made available to the public in the 1890s.
The first hand-held film camera called the Aerospace was out in 1909. The video is part of a wider series of films about labourers in Victorian England, produced by the Mitchell and Kenyon film company.
A speed-corrected, colourised and enhanced version of these clips were first released on the internet in March 2020. Children in the footage appear to be stopping in the busy street. While some kids can be seen pointing towards the camera, a kid in the video even tips his hat in a manner of greeting.
These videos were filmed sometime between 1900 and 1901 and documents the lives of workers from all age groups during the late Second Industrial Revolution.
It is obvious from their worn out appearance that conditions in the industries and factories weren't great. The high-resolution footage shows faces and clothes covered in dirt as people head out of their workplace.
