East Side Urchins Bathing in a Fountain
About East Side Urchins Bathing in a Fountain
Boys bathe in a fountain on New York’s East Side, splash the people watching, and swim. A policeman appears. They grab their clothes and run, nearly naked, through the street.
More about East Side Urchins Bathing in a Fountain
Edison released the actuality in October 1903. Thomas A. Edison copyrighted it on 3 October 1903 (H36495). AFI gives 75 feet. Edwin S. Porter is credited as cameraman. The New York Clipper of 17 October 1903, page 820, is one of AFI’s citations. AFI links it with other East Side subjects, including Panoramic View of the Ghetto (1900) and Move On (1903).
Themes
Background
Edison was selling a run of short New York street pictures in 1903. This one is the fountain on the East Side.
Look
Edwin S. Porter photographed the 75-foot street scene.
Music
Silent.
Notes
- Seventy-five feet is the length on the AFI record.
- The Edison summary calls the splash at bystanders the boys’ amusement.
- Porter is the only crew name AFI lists.
Scenes
- The policeman steps in and the boys bolt from the fountain with their clothes in their arms.