Electrocuting an Elephant

Uncommon card · No. 167695

Electrocuting an Elephant (also known as Electrocution of an Elephant) is a 1903 American black-and-white silent actuality short depicting the killing of the elephant Topsy by electrocution at a Coney Island amusement park on January 4, 1903. It was produced by the Edison film company (part of the Edison Manufacturing Company) and is believed to have been shot by either Edwin S. Porter or Jacob Blair Smith. The film was released on January 17, 1903, 13 days after Topsy's death. It was later submitted to the Library of Congress as a paper print for copyright purposes. This form of submission may have saved the film for posterity since most films and negatives of this period decayed or were destroyed over time. It is believed to be the first time a death was ever captured in a motion picture film. As a film published in 1903, it is in the public domain.

Read on Wikipedia · Image Edwin S. Porter or Jacob Blair Smith / Edison Manufacturing Company, Public domain