Historical blacksmith film from 1893

[JHCC]

Just ran across this short film clip showing a smith and two strikers. Its run time is only 34 seconds long, but it's interesting in a few ways. First, it is the first known example of actors (in this case, Edison employees) performing roles in a staged scene. Second, it was the first commercially exhibited film.

(Third, it is our earliest filmed evidence of the close relationship between blacksmiths and beer.)

[teenylittlemetalguy]

staged you say? maybe that explains the lack of smoke, sweat or any actual fluid in that bottle...8-)

 

[JHCC]

The last being the most troubling.

[teenylittlemetalguy]

I completely agree. I pretend to forge all the time, but I have never pretended to drink beer....

 

[Glenn]

Did anyone notice that the master hits before each hit of the striker?  M, S1, M, S2, M, S1, M, S2 etc

Other old videos show it as master, striker, striker, etc M, S1, S2, M, S!, S2, etc.

[JHCC]

Yes, I found that striking.

[Matthew D]

There are some interesting things to glean from this historical video.  Anvil height, striking techniques, types of hammer and tongs, and as Glen pointed out, how the master was directing the forging.  There is a fire in the forge as there are little wisps of smoke.  

The other cool thing is these men probably have some descendants out there somewhere.  How cool would it be to see your ancestors in an old informational film working in their jobs?  My great great grandfather was a blacksmith in Missouri in the 1860's to early 1900's.  I would love to see some of his work and a photograph or two.  

Does anybody have an idea what they are working on and making/fixing?  

[notownkid]

Well I now know the problem of my forging with strikers, We Don't Drink Beer, I knew there was a simple answer.  I now have a talking point with my wife a power hammer or drink beer!  that should get my Blacksmith shop turned into a pottery shop in about 1 hr. Guess I'll just keep fumbling along.

[JHCC]

42 minutes ago, Matthew D said:

The other cool thing is these men probably have some descendants out there somewhere.  How cool would it be to see your ancestors in an old informational film working in their jobs?  

This site gives the names of two of the smiths as "Charles Kayser" and "John Ott". There's a photo of Kayser sitting with an early version of the kinetograph here, and there's an interesting article about Ott (and some other long-term Edison employees, including William Dickson, who made this film) here. 

On the basis of this info, I'm guessing that Ott is the smith in this film. He started with Edison in 1869 as a machinist and ended up as one of his principal assistants. At the time of filming, he would have been about 43 and had worked for Edison for about 24 years. Unfortunately, he suffered a debilitating accident two years after filming and needed crutches and a wheelchair for the rest of his life. He died the day after Edison, having worked for him his entire career.

A 1916 article says of Ott: "If you want to be entertained with many reminiscences that sound like a strange and fascinating novel told in a plain and direct manner, you have only to find Mr. Ott when he is not busy (which is seldom)."