#fred ott

January 9, 1894 -  Edison Kinetoscopic Record of a Sneeze [AKA Fred Ott’s Sneeze] was received with a copyright at the Library of Congress.

Photographer W.K.L. Dickson made this short film in between January 2 and January 7 of 1894. It was actually shot as a series of still photographs (45 frames) that would accompany an article in Harper’s Weekly for publicity purposes. It’s the oldest surviving motion picture with a copyright.

On January 9, 1894, Fred Ott took a pinch of snuff and let out a loud sneeze. Nothing unusual about that, you might think, especially as Ott had a tendency to launch loud sneezes. It was this attribute that made him perfect for the role that Thomas Edison had in mind for him as he tested out his kinetoscope. Edison wanted to capture one of Ott’s prodigious sneezes. Initially, Ott was reluctant…

An Edison remake by Porter of White’s “The Kiss” (1896). This version has a younger couple and more smooching, but the uproar over the remake was minimal compared to the one four years previous (in fact, the stage careers of Rice and Irwin were affected due to the original’s controversy).