July 13, 2011
Lost and Found Films: ‘Aberdeen Gathering
This weeks Lost and Found film, like many in this batch, has a sort of dreamy quality to it. Its from 1925-1933, silent, and titled Aberdeen Gathering.
A group of people — perhaps 100, and many children — are seen walking in a circle formation, with more joining the group from the right of the screen. In time they stop and we then see whats happening inside the circle. A man standing on blocks addresses the gathering, with children most visible in the front rows. A girl and another man stand just to the left.
The man withdraws a folded document from his jacket, unfolds it, and hands it to the girl in a sort of ceremonial fashion. She in turn hands it to the man at the left, who burns the document in a small fire.
This is one of hundreds of reels of film that Hannah Palin, film archives specialist with UW Libraries Special Collections, is trying to identify for archiving purposes. She has film clips that are mostly from the late 1940s through the 1970s — some from research projects, some from campus events and some from commercial films or original productions.
In this film, Palin would like to know what these people are doing and what theyre burning.
If you can answer these questions or provide any other information about the film, please write your comment below. When UW Today presented earlier films from Special Collections, readers provided important information, and Palin hopes shell get a similar response now.
Some other recent Lost and Found Films:
June 30: Campus Color, circa 1940-48
July 6, Research at Sea
Tag(s): Lost and Found Films
