Rev. S. S. Jones, American, 1869 - 1936 Search this
Medium:
acetate film
Dimensions:
Duration: 12 Minutes
Length (Film): 340 Feet
Type:
silent films
home movies
black-and-white films (visual works)
16mm (photographic film size)
Place filmed:
Oklahoma, United States, North and Central America
Date:
1924-1928
Caption:
Rev. Solomon Sir Jones was a Baptist minister, businessman, and amateur filmmaker. This collection of home movies by Jones documents African American communities in Oklahoma between 1924 and 1928, depicting residents at work and in their homes, as well as activities at local schools, businesses, and churches. Community social events such as parades and funerals are prominently featured.
Description:
A home movie featuring footage taken in Oklahoma during the middle and late 1920s by Solomon Sir Jones. It is the fourth in a collection of nine films and consists of a single reel of silent 16mm black-and-white acetate film.
The film begins with shots of portraits of two young men. The next scene shows a street with houses and a smoke stack in the background. A sign in a window advertises a large group baptism and moving picture, perhaps meaning that S.S. Jones will be filming the baptism. The next scene shows a long procession of the people who will be attending and participating in the baptism. Those that will be baptized are wearing white clothing. The scene after the procession shows a church and some men in uniform standing in a line in the street. There is more footage of a different church in a rural area. There is another processing from the door of the church with those attending and participating in the baptism. Similar to the earlier procession, the crowd walks directly in front of the camera.
The next scene shows the people standing on the shore of a small pond. Those that are to be baptized are led out into the water and are baptized by one of the three priests standing in the water. The footage then shows a commercial storefront of a grocery and meat market and store employees bringing products out in front of the store. The footage includes storefronts, signs, and employees for several other businesses: real estate, undertaker and embalmer, barber shop, laundry, and a delicatessen. The next scene shows people leaving a church after a funeral service. The casket is carried out followed by a large crowd from the church. The footage of the funeral includes the graveside service and the casket being lowered into the ground. The last scene briefly shows a large house with a stone wall.
