Some of these films have been in common circulation for decades, but others are little known, and many are appearing in public for the first time since their original screenings well over a century ago. 

In these collections you'll find the most comprehensive gallery of Victorian films ever assembled. Hundreds of films made over the last years of Victoria's reign - six years in which film was transformed from the pursuit of a handful of showmen, chemists and amateur enthusiasts into a dynamic industry, and from fairground novelty into the greatest entertainment of the age.

For too long, Britain's role in the development of film has been undervalued or downplayed. It's time for that to change. Starting here.

This collection is supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.