The Martyred Presidents
About The Martyred Presidents
A girl sits with her face hidden at the foot of a tomb. In an opening at the center, portraits of Abraham Lincoln, James A. Garfield, and William McKinley appear, then vanish. A second shot, a little over eight seconds, shows an assassin kneeling at the feet of a figure of Justice.
Cast & crew
More about The Martyred Presidents
Edwin S. Porter directed it in 1901. It belongs to a run of Edison films about the shooting of William McKinley at the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo. The Edison catalog told exhibitors to use this short as a closing tableau with pictures of the funeral.
Themes
Background
McKinley was shot in Buffalo in September 1901. Exhibitors were told to play this after films of the funeral ceremonies.
Preservation
A print is on the Internet Archive.
Notes
- The whole picture is two shots. The second runs a little over eight seconds.
- The portrait device is the sort of dissolve used in magic-lantern and phantasmagoria shows.
Scenes
- Lincoln, then Garfield, then McKinley appear in the opening of the tomb and fade.
- The assassin kneels at the feet of Justice.
Also available
- Internet Archive (The_Martyred_Presidents_1901)
- Wikimedia Commons (The Martyred Presidents 1901 - yt.webm)
