Early Sound Footage of real life in the 1920s and early 30s. Fascinating stuff. Beware, some of these videos have might have performers in black face. Can't avoid casual racism.

[Edited 4/20/18 12:30pm]

I've been seeing these in the last few days. I've not seen the UK ones yet. He has video of NYC but he added ambient sound to them, and speed corrected. These are pretty rare and interesting having sound in them. I'm endlessly fascinated by videos like this of old, old, old footage. Some of this stuff is 90+ years old. Amazing to see how the world has changed, yet is still the same in many ways.

TrivialPursuit said:

I've been seeing these in the last few days. I've not seen the UK ones yet. He has video of NYC but he added ambient sound to them, and speed corrected. These are pretty rare and interesting having sound in them. I'm endlessly fascinated by videos like this of old, old, old footage. Some of this stuff is 90+ years old. Amazing to see how the world has changed, yet is still the same in many ways.

It's interesting that the everday day life in the majority of the 20th century was rarely documented so we tend to mythologize those eras. Seeing this footage shows not just how much has changed, but also how much has stayed the same.

lrn36 said:

TrivialPursuit said:

I've been seeing these in the last few days. I've not seen the UK ones yet. He has video of NYC but he added ambient sound to them, and speed corrected. These are pretty rare and interesting having sound in them. I'm endlessly fascinated by videos like this of old, old, old footage. Some of this stuff is 90+ years old. Amazing to see how the world has changed, yet is still the same in many ways.

It's interesting that the everday day life in the majority of the 20th century was rarely documented so we tend to mythologize those eras. Seeing this footage shows not just how much has changed, but also how much has stayed the same.

Yeah, my friend and I were watching them. I noted how people were just living their life, walking wherever. You always think of folks back then being proper, a woman on a man's arm, or at least women traveling together sometimes.

I noticed in a few vids I saw, the sidewalks were exceptionally wide. Could have just been the neighborhood. Also, the lack of great traffic flow was pretty hysterical, although there was no real traffic jam anywhere. Horses and buggies and cars and bikes all just sort of did what they needed to do. (A proven idea that the lack of traffic lights can often create a better flow than having to wait on a red light when no one is around, etc.; or at least putting in traffic circles - my town seems to be getting more and more of them.)

The glaring difference, really, was people's fascination with a camera. There was always someone who found the camera alluring and stared at it from across the street or whatever. Certainly, it was a rare thing to see just out on the streets. These days - one is almost surprised when a person is not watching life through their iPhone cameras. Makes me think of Prince telling people to put their phones down and to "participate!".