The LOC Offers Films from 1894-1915

What seems to me to be one of the Library of Congress's more ambitious projects is now available at http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/awlhtml/ . It's called America at Work, America at Leisure 1894-1915.

What's ambitious about this? This site includes 111 films made between 1894 and 1915. (There are 39 more films to be included; they'll be added this fall.) The films include fire fighters, ice manufacturers, paper boys, etc. Lots of Edison films here. You may search for films by keyword, browse through subject headings, or browse by an alphabetical title list. (I found the last the easiest thing to do; there are only 111 titles so browsing them wasn't oppressive.)

Some titles that are listed don't have digital versions available yet. Those are merely described and dated. The ones that do have digital versions available are prefaced with a few frames from the film, along with a description, date, and film length. Films are available in three formats; QuickTime, RealMedia, and MPEG. Films vary greatly in length -- I saw one that was 20 seconds long, and another that was over four minutes. Very interesting. Worth a look!

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