The young ladies from Miss Knapp's Select School have an outing at Coney Island, NY in 1905. Transferred from a 35mm ptint. Footage from this subject may be licensed from www.globalimageworks.com
That bus they all climbed into was remarkable. Obviously a slow driver since they all still had their parasols open at the arrival. They looked like a bunch of swans packed into a tight space, when they all opened their parasols. Very funny.
Amazing to look back on such a slice of history. The world was completely different then, but fascinating that we can press a few buttons and look back on it. Love these films!
Not the same Miss Knapp, as she did not live and work in New York. Florence Knapp was born in Lansdale, Pennsylvania, United States on October 10, 1873 and died in the same state on January 11, 1988 at the age of 114 years, 93 days. On February 2, 1987, she became the oldest living person in America, following the death of Mary McKinney. On December 27, 1987, she became the oldest verified living person in the world, following the death of Anna Eliza Williams. At the time of her death, she was the oldest person ever from Pennsylvania. Her Pennsylvania longevity record was broken by Sarah Knauss in 1994. Knapp received a teaching certificate after graduating from West Chester Normal School and College in 1884. She taught at elementary school for more than four decades from 1894 until her retirement in 1935. A suffragette, she marched down Philadelphia's Broad Street in 1919 in support of female emancipation. During her retirement, she was active in community affairs, researching and writing papers for the Montgomery County Historical Society. Knapp lived the first 110 years of her life at the stone farmhouse in which she was born. She then moved to a nursing home after breaking a hip. In October 1987, she was honoured by the Pennsylvania legislature after being recognized by Guinness as the oldest person in the United States. A niece described Knapp as "active and independent. She was pretty fiesty at times. She had a sense of humor. . . . When she talked about the suffragette movement, she would say that it was a great victory for women. She was a staunch Democrat - a democratic woman who voted every election until she was 105 or 106." Knapp heralded from a long-lived family - one of her sisters reached the age of 108. grg.org/Gallery/1873Gallery.html#Florence_Knappk
I love in the beginning how the one girl just climbs right onto the car without the ladder and the teacher seems to reprimand her to use the stairs... "Now ladies, at the count of three I want you all to put up your umbrellas..." Gosh I can't imagine walking around Coney Island wearing those dresses. :)
They're very comfortable dresses, actually. You can do a number of things without worry like running, climbing trees, hiking, riding horses, golfing, softball, etc. A lot of modern day ppl think those dresses are uncomfortable and restricting, but they're really not. Even the corsests were comfortable. I have custom made stays and corsets. I wear them more than I do modern bras.
What a fabulous video. I love the school teacher chasing after the girls as they defy her having too much fun, especially in the barrel ride! She's always chasing the girls and waving her umbrella at them!
This is beautiful, and tragic. Life isn't like this anymore. Society isn't like this anymore. And, most unfortunately, people aren't like this anymore...
Loved watching this! I have such fond memories of Coney Island in the 1950's - it was still a great place to have fun. Was that a camel ride in the video? And the car that took them to CI, was the wheel on the right?
For 1905 this is pretty good- pre chaplin, etc., not many films had any sort of "plot" this early on . But one has to sort of wonder - did they need to utilize the first two or three minutes of film of them getting in and then out of the car? Wonder if there was originally more to this film as it ends rather abruptly. It really leaves one wishing for more shots of steeplechase and dreamland! Stuff like the chutes the chutes is missing completely but the swings scene is drawn out. Interesting.
The early years of the Coney Island amusement parks has always fascinated me. It's a pleasure to watch footage taken during that time. The girls are a hoot and so cute in the sand and surf, and riding the barrel and the Steeplechase Ride. With the number of tracks on the Steeplechase Ride, I would date this video pre-1907, when the ride was rebuilt. Thanks for sharing!
Very cool! I was just going to come back on and say the film could actually have been made up through the 1907 season, but great you were able to find out the actual year.
it took 3 times watching it, i realized that this is the earliest form of movie location acting. the beach scene it is the one without the stockings who falls in the hole, the ladies are told also not to look at the camera, the camel scene with schoolmarm running after them and hoops with same scolding thing are acts prepared in advance by a director. i did not notice the first two times. these are rich girls and edison was part of the business deal to do this bet it was connections with dads.
It's difficult for me to imagine the inconvenience of such clothing! Especially in Summer. As a Central Texan I think I would die, or at least pass out, in our daily 100-105 degree temps with so much clothing! Wow, how did people handle this sort of getup? Amazing!
That is why back then women were known to "swoon" and were "delicate". This is Edwardian times. Back in Victorian times they actually wore more (a petticoat, corset, and other "enhancements"
@Rollman1 Hi, that's interesting. Good for you! :) Definitely different to a roller-coaster ride. This film is so nice. Great to see this, it's almost like ghosts from the past.
@piniarosa I was on that ride back when i was 8 years old living in Brooklyn. It was really FAST. I wish one of the super parks would bring it back for nostalgia sake It was the best ride at Steeplechase had By 1964 it was torn down forever
Todd Tepper I wonder if with the changes in our climate being so rapid since the turn of the last century if it was actually less hot or even more hot at that time. In the very least, you kind of hope they’re all wearing reeeeeally thin cottons, right?
@ibtheonlymarktoo I went to Magic Mountain in Valencia last summer after not being there since 1981. What's with the Jet Stream. It seems like they've took the fun out of it.
@Amaranth Try learning a little about it before you pass judgements, it isn't that simple. It didn't just happen to Coney or Asbury Park, it happened in Brighton Beach UK as well.
they were playing lol..... these are technically young people, they may look older. but their on a field trip from school. its almost like they were acting for the camera, putting on a show
And it's influence on society and the world in general. It's very sad, and also nowadays society is too fast paced and technology obsessed whereas in those days things were much simpler and relaxed, especially in small towns and rural areas. I think most people except the poor and impoverished were happier
The Steeplechase card is incorrectly placed. It’s still Dreamland with the Creation ride. Steeplechase begins with the big barrel ride. Great film otherwise and well-preserved.
Wow, they look more dressed up in their bathing suits than most women do now, unless they are going to a wedding or a prom. Rare to see women in a dress these days.
@redonionsauce I've got swimsuits from this era in my collection. They were wool but it wasn't as heavy as you might assume. However, they were very heavy when wet.
I wonder if the lifeguard at the beach gave any of the ladies a hard time for showing their ankles. By the way compare this footage to 2015 footage of Coney Island, it seems humans are devolving as a species.
A TRUE WINDOW IN TIME.......THESE LONG FORGOTTEN SOULS SHALL REMAIN NAMELESS FOR ALL OF ETERNITY,THOUGH THEY LIVED ANOTHER LIFE IN ANOTHER WORLD IN THE SEA OF TIME COULD THEY HAVE POSSIBLY IMAGINED AT THAT VERY MOMENT THAT IN THE YEAR 2013 THEY WOULD BE WATCHED BY FUTURE GENERATIONS WHO SAUGHT TO LOOK BACK INTO THE PAST....... THEY COULDN'T IMAGINE YOU WOULD EXIST........NOR COULD YOU IMAGINE THEY EXISTED...IT TRULEY WAS....ANOTHER WORLD.
Yes Id like to go back there I was born and raised in Bklyn. near Cony 1954 I m nastagic about old Bklyn.i live in Florida now Id like to show thees ladys how my I-Pod works Will they be impressed?
@CountryConcertGirl white dresses were very popular in those days for some reason, look at pictures of young girls from the turn of the century, almost all the dresses were white literally
