Hadj Cheriff | 1894 | Short, Nonfiction

Title: Hadj Cheriff | 1894 | Short, Nonfiction Director: William K.L. Dickson, William Heise. Studio: Edison Manufacturing Company. Starring: Hadji L. Cheriff. Release Date: October 6, 1894. Runtime: 0.3. Format: 35 mm; black-and-white; silent; 30 fps; Kinetoscope-era single-reel; filmed at the Black Maria studio, West Orange, New Jersey. Country: United States. Language: Silent. Genres: Short, Nonfiction, Filmed performance. --- Chapters: 00:00:00 Entrance and stance 00:00:03 Knife discarded 00:00:07 Acrobatic routine begins 00:00:12 Handstands and cartwheels 00:00:16 Final spins and flourish --- Summary: A solo performer identified as Hadji L. Cheriff enters the frame holding knives, then discards them and executes a compact routine of handstands, cartwheels, leaps, and spins for the stationary camera. The film captures a brief, self-contained stage turn typical of late nineteenth‑century filmed performances made for Kinetoscope exhibition. --- Background: Shot on October 6, 1894 at Thomas Edison’s Black Maria studio in West Orange, New Jersey, the subject was photographed by William Heise and produced under W. K. L. Dickson for the Edison Manufacturing Company. Surviving material runs about 19 seconds at 30 frames per second on 35 mm, and the film has circulated under variant titles including “Arab knife juggler” and the erroneous “Sheikh Hadji Taha.” The same performer later appeared in Edison’s Arabian Gun Twirler , indicating his ongoing association with turn‑of‑the‑century vaudeville and fairground attractions. --- Trivia: The Library of Congress catalogs the piece as a filmed performance featuring acrobatics rather than a knife‑juggling display, noting the knives are discarded before the routine begins. The viewing print is approximately 36 feet of 35 mm film, reflecting the very short durations typical of early Kinetoscope subjects. Production credits list William Heise as the camera operator, with W. K. L. Dickson as film producer, an arrangement common in Edison studio work of the period. The film was photographed at 30 frames per second, a higher rate than later silent-era standards, contributing to the crisp rendering of rapid acrobatic movements. Hadji Cheriff reappeared in Edison’s Arabian Gun Twirler , which showcases rifle‑twirling rather than floor acrobatics. --- Public Domain / Rights: Original Release: October 6, 1894. Original Studio / Distributor: Edison Manufacturing Company. Copyright Status: Public Domain. Renewal: Unknown --- Hashtags: HadjCheriff 1894 SilentFilm Edison BlackMaria Kinetoscope EarlyCinema PublicDomain Source page: https: //www.loc.gov/item/00694123/ Direct media URL: https: //tile.loc.gov/storage-services/service/mbrs/ntscrm/00179351/00179351.mp4