General Discussion

KittyWampus

(55,894 posts) Tue Jan 6, 2015, 12:26 PM Jan 2015

Film Footage Of 1904 London Street Traffic [View all]

I love watching old film footage (especially from before WW 1) and found this on Youtube.

Inevitably people will comment on Victorian/Edwardian footage "all those people are dead".

What is intriguing about THIS footage is while all the people are dead… there are entities shown in this footage that are very much still alive…. the corporations advertised on the omnibuses. For fun I jotted down the corporations that still exist. See how many you recognize. I counted 6 that I knew.

The heavy traffic footage starts around 1.40 and at the very end you see one, singular automobile!

One last observation: while a woman stepping back into London of 1904 would immediately look out of place a man in a suit might actually not look like a total freak.

Oh, and it's hard not to think of the novel "Black Beauty" seeing all those horses. The streets must have been covered in manure.

ENJOY AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!

63 replies

= new reply since forum marked as read

Highlight:

Film Footage Of 1904 London Street Traffic [View all] KittyWampus Jan 2015 OP

Thanks edhopper Jan 2015 #1

Yeah, plenty of traffic, horse-drawn, ads on vehicles, foot traffi. The only differences I see . . . brush Jan 2015 #14

observations and thank you for this wonderful thing roguevalley Jan 2015 #34

So many of the omnibuses has NESTLE on them I almost thought it was a modern advertisement KittyWampus Jan 2015 #50

Interesting they could take moving film before there were major numbers of cars treestar Jan 2015 #2

this is considered the oldest film ever made it and it comes from 1888 roguevalley Jan 2015 #37

Wow! treestar Jan 2015 #45

Thanks so much, these are incredible. How did you find them, are you a photog. expert? appalachiablue Jan 2015 #46

Nice! tenderfoot Jan 2015 #60

Lipton is not a well known brand in the UK these days, though muriel_volestrangler Jan 2015 #38

They were traveling on the left side of the road even back then. (nt) PotatoChip Jan 2015 #3

Since the Romans nationalize the fed Jan 2015 #5

Hmmm. That is an interesting little factoid. PotatoChip Jan 2015 #6

Since there've been roads, in fact. The Romans kept to the left, as well. Spider Jerusalem Jan 2015 #7

k/r Cool video nationalize the fed Jan 2015 #4

Plus: muriel_volestrangler Jan 2015 #13

At the time, some of the veterans of that war were still living. NT Ex Lurker Jan 2015 #30

Back in the 70's there was this nostalgia bullshit going on... Archae Jan 2015 #8

I can imagine everything reeking of ammonia Warpy Jan 2015 #56

Except in mud! Archae Jan 2015 #58

You know the first automobile yuiyoshida Jan 2015 #9

I had always heard that the first internal combustion automobiles . . . brush Jan 2015 #15

Didn't see any horseless carriages yuiyoshida Jan 2015 #16

there is one at the very end! At about 3:50 KittyWampus Jan 2015 #17

Thanks.. yuiyoshida Jan 2015 #18

Other car companies were in production before Henry Ford got into the act Warpy Jan 2015 #57

a bit earlier lithiumbomb Jan 2015 #62

Random fact: the average speed of horse-drawn traffic in central London was eight miles an hour. Spider Jerusalem Jan 2015 #10

Horses leave crap all over the ground, while cars leave crap all over the air... Xithras Jan 2015 #22

The city hired people to clean the streets. They were known as street sweepers. n/t oneshooter Jan 2015 #26

Nestle, Lipton, and even Grape Nuts. aikoaiko Jan 2015 #11

Think how stressful it must have been to drive back then. randome Jan 2015 #12

The first thing that strikes me about this footage is how less crowded it was back then Hutzpa Jan 2015 #19

Because working folk weren't out and about nichomachus Jan 2015 #24

I was thinking just the opposite. Particulary in the last segment, it was jammed with Fla Dem Jan 2015 #27

I see your point Hutzpa Jan 2015 #43

Lotsa poop! progressoid Jan 2015 #20

There must have been a whole poop disposal industry. tclambert Jan 2015 #28

The Great Manure Crisis of 1894 OnlinePoker Jan 2015 #32

I have got to find a way to work that phrase into conversation. tclambert Jan 2015 #41

Well, "Republican clown car" has gotten a by overused... JHB Jan 2015 #48

Other than hat fads, the basic structure of the modern mens suit has been around since 1850. Xithras Jan 2015 #21

all those hats... irisblue Jan 2015 #29

I don't like hats. Xithras Jan 2015 #49

The history guy for Downtown Abbey was on tv last night & hats were apparently a status symbol KittyWampus Jan 2015 #52

Lol. I knew there was a reason that I don't like hats. Xithras Jan 2015 #63

oh my goodness, that was absolutely wonderful! renate Jan 2015 #23

Streets covered in manure nichomachus Jan 2015 #25

Super cool. blackspade Jan 2015 #31

Neat Stuff RickG Jan 2015 #33

All are wearing HATS, a must then for going out. This is my grandparents & great grands era. appalachiablue Jan 2015 #35

Must have been a lot of hat stores back then. n/t miyazaki Jan 2015 #42

Yep, many hat stores- millinery shops. Women freshened up older hats with different ribbon, faux appalachiablue Jan 2015 #44

Just read a book on CHICKENS which descended from Red Jungle Fowl. Women's hats nearly devastated KittyWampus Jan 2015 #53

Why must we persecute the poor chickens? tclambert Jan 2015 #55

I believe in protecting wildlife & nature conservation, why I wrote of hats trimmed w/ribbon, faux appalachiablue Jan 2015 #59

Nestle's Milk, Lipton Tea, Grapnuts, Pearl soap, Kodak... MrMickeysMom Jan 2015 #36

HATS, JAYWALKING EVERYWHERE and a lot of MASS TRANSIT. and NO FAT PEOPLE. pansypoo53219 Jan 2015 #39

Yet London itself looks largely the same... KatyMan Jan 2015 #40

I've always been curious about that comment on every one of these videos. chrisa Jan 2015 #47

Thank you for posting this with a proper aspect ratio! kentauros Jan 2015 #51

I can see why Victorian/Edwardian novelists got rid of unwanted characters DavidDvorkin Jan 2015 #54

Message auto-removed Name removed Jan 2015 #61