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| Field name | Value |
|---|---|
| Title | Washing the Sweep |
| Date | 1898 |
| Document Type | Film |
| Library/Archive | BFI National Archive |
| Collection | Victorian Compilation |
| Notes | 35mm, black and white, silent, 71 feet. |
| Topics | film, silent |
| Director | James Williamson |
| Production Company | Williamson Kinematograph Company |
| Duration | 00:01:17 |
| Genre | comedy |
| Description | One of the earliest surviving films by James Williamson, 'Washing the Sweep' (1898) is very similar in concept to G. A. Smith's 'The Miller and the Sweep' and 'Hanging Out The Clothes' (both 1897). Given that both filmmakers were based in Hove and known to be friends, it is probably safe to assume that Smith's films were a direct inspiration. Two women are washing clothes outdoors; one has a small bowl resting on a chair, the other a large tub on a table. They hang the washing on a line behind them. A chimney sweep arrives and messes up the washing on the line with his dirty hands. One of the women eventually catches him, forces him to his knees and scrubs his face with soap. He runs away but returns and tries to chase the other washer woman. Note: static camera, players occasionally go out of shot. |
| Copyright | BFI National Archive |