Joseph Chamberlain at Home (1902)

A political giant at his magnificent Highbury estate in Birmingham.

This is a rarity among Mitchell and Kenyon's surviving films: an audience with a true political giant. In 1902 Chamberlain was basking in the glory of victory against the Boers, in what was widely called 'Joe's War'. We don't hear what he has to say, but there's no mistaking the enthusiasm of his audience. As a bonus, the camera gives us a tour of the gardens of Chamberlain's magnificent Highbury.

Chamberlain, an enthusiastic champion of empire whose forceful support for war in South Africa had shaped the 1899 general election (dubbed the 'Khaki election'), was a popular figure despite his changing political loyalties. At 66, he is clearly in vigorous health in this film, but just four years later he would succumb to the stroke that would effectively end his political career.