A Video Journey into the Past

In one of our recent blog posts, “Picture This …”, we discussed how more pictures have been added to the pages of The Family History Guide to make the journey even more enjoyable. And we’ve all experienced the joy of discovering photos of our ancestors that open a window in their lives—who they were, where they lived, and how they lived.

Seeing videos of ancestors can be even more powerful, but the obvious shortcoming is that video technology is relatively new: most of our ancestors lived and died before it was available. Most of us have seen footage of silent movies or other early video, where the action is jittery, or the sound is uneven … interesting, although nothing like the movie experience of today.

But what if you could take a trip back in time and see people in motion, yet with clear sound and steady, real-time movements? Last year the Museum of Modern Art released an expertly restored documentary of life in New York City in 1911, originally captured by a Swedish camera team. We think you’ll be amazed at what you see—real people going about their lives, in their own present-day circumstances. Some of them might even be your ancestors, or at least share the life generation of your parents, grandparents, or great-grandparents.

With that, grab a bag of popcorn or your favorite snack and be prepared for a video journey into the past—not a re-creation done by actors, but the real thing, with the real people of 1911 in New York City.