Life Before Cellphones

October 23, 2020
WarOnPress

Incredible colorized footage reveals aspects of interpersonal engagement in the late 19th Century. The masterful restoration and enhancement gives the clip the clarity and brilliance of what we might have expected if it had been taken with a modern smartphone.

Snowball fight 124 years ago. Lyon, France, 1896. Colorized and speed adjusted. Original in black and white by Louis Lumiere

A friend noticed this and commented: “I love this video. No one is staring at a cell phone.”

I immediately remembered a meme to offer in response with my own comment: “Indeed… before cellphones people were more directly engaged with one another! Here’s the early equivalent to an online debate!”