Hunslet Carnival and Gala (1904)

A spectacular street procession in the heart of industrial West Yorkshire.

Carnivals were a highlight of the Edwardian calendar, when they allowed townsfolk to set aside the usual norms of class, status and gender. This film of a summertime procession through Hunslet in south east Leeds is no exception, featuring blackface minstrels, men in women's dress and floats depicting religious and historical scenes. As is common, showmen marshal the crowd around the camera.