Clip description

This clip captures scenes of daily life in the main streets of Footscray, Melbourne, in 1910 and 1911.

Curator’s notes

In this clip, the camera films from street level and remains mostly static, although it does occasionally pan to follow the movement of people within the frame. Some members of the public consciously acknowledge the camera (particularly children), while others conduct their business regardless. A moving image camera and crew was still a novelty for people in the early decades of last century and provoked curiosity.

These scenes were filmed in the middle of a Melbourne summer in 1910, but the only obvious indication that it was not winter are the few boys wearing shorts. The clothing custom of the time dictated that men and women were formally clothed in public.