The River Thames. A tugboat pulls barges. The Houses of Parliament are shrouded in light fog (not smog – that came later). Notice the lack of high-rise buildings – the skyline is dominated by church spires.
A family outside a terraced house in East London. Children play with a hoop and stick. A costermonger (street seller) pushes a barrow of eels and potatoes. 1920 london 720p download
12 minutes
The 720p resolution allows you to read shop signs, see the weave of a man's tweed jacket, and count the spokes on a bicycle wheel. Beyond entertainment, downloading and preserving 720p footage of 1920 London serves a critical cultural purpose. The year 1920 was a pivot point: World War I had just ended, the Spanish Flu was receding, and London was reinventing itself as the capital of a modernizing world. Cars replaced horses; electricity replaced gas lamps; women gained more independence. The River Thames