Men boxing | 1891 | Short, Silent, Experimental

Title: Men boxing | 1891 | Short, Silent, Experimental Director: William K. L. Dickson, William Heise Studio: Edison Manufacturing Company Format: Black-and-white silent; 3/4-inch film; horizontal-feed Kinetograph; round aperture; filmed at the Edison Laboratory Photographic Building, West Orange, New Jersey; preserved on 35 mm Country: United States Language: Silent Genres: Short, Experimental, Nonfiction, Sports --- Chapters: 00:00:00 Opening frame 00:00:05 Boxers take stance 00:00:10 Brief sparring pose 00:00:15 Closing frame --- Summary: Two Edison laboratory employees wearing boxing gloves step into a small ring and assume sparring positions. The brief actuality functions as a motion test rather than a depiction of a real bout, capturing simple movement and framing within a controlled studio setting. --- Background: Shot in May–June 1891 at the Edison Laboratory’s Photographic Building in West Orange, New Jersey, Men boxing was produced during early Kinetograph experiments by W. K. L. Dickson and William Heise. The footage was recorded on 3/4‑inch horizontal-feed film through a round aperture as an internal demonstration and was not publicly exhibited. A preservation print survives in the Library of Congress, and the title is often associated with other early Edison camera tests such as Newark Athlete and Dickson Greeting. --- Trivia: The original negative length is commonly reported as about 10–12 feet, resulting in only a few seconds of unique action; modern viewing copies are often looped to extend duration. The film predates the construction of Edison’s Black Maria studio; it was made in the earlier Photographic Building on the West Orange campus. Although labeled as a boxing scene, no punches are thrown; the performers primarily hold positions to aid exposure and motion analysis. Later Edison boxing actualities, notably the 1894 Leonard–Cushing Fight, provided one of the first publicly exhibited sports films, but this 1891 test anticipated those productions. The Library of Congress preserves the film within the Edison collection, with notes identifying it as an experimental camera test. --- Public Domain / Rights: Original Release: 1891 Original Studio / Distributor: Edison Manufacturing Company Copyright Status: Public Domain Renewal: No --- Hashtags: MenBoxing 1891 SilentFilm PublicDomain Edison EarlyCinema WilliamKLDickson WilliamHeise Kinetograph LibraryOfCongress Source page: https: //www.loc.gov/item/00694132/ Direct media URL: https: //tile.loc.gov/storage-services/service/mbrs/ntscrm/02774273/02774273.mp4