Here’s an absolutely mesmerizing (to these as yet unjaded eyes anyway) Mitchell and Kenyon documentation of Sheffield, South Yorkshire in 1902. The camera appears to have been well concealed on the tram on which it’s been placed which has the refreshing effect of not attracting the attention of the pedestrians and riders. While its always interesting to see the quizzical looks when they see the novelty instrument for the first time, too often these films become all about the pedestrian’s reactions to the camera. In this one you are simply seeing everyday life as it progressed on a normal day in town. Sheffield, by the way, was heavily bombed during the Second World War and its likely that this film documents an area that may well be largely vanished. For more on the extraordinary story of Mitchell and Kenyon (the filmmakers responsible for this) see yesterday’s post.