Still from Edwin S. Porter's Uncle Tom's Cabin (1903) released by the Edison Company.

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Edwin S. Porter’s 1903 film production, "Uncle Tom’s Cabin; or, Slavery Days", was based largely off of the theatrical productions of the same story common during that time. This being said, the movie lived up to many racial stereotypes in wide circulation. Many scenes were included simply to showcase slave dances. While African-American extras made appearances, white actors in blackface played the main slave characters. The film storyline strays widely from the plot of the novel, as exemplified by a scene completely independent of the novel depicting a steamboat race. The film assumes the audience is generally familiar with the plot due to the story’s immense and long running popularity.

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Size: 2370px × 1746px
Photo credit: © Old Paper Studios / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: ., 1903, archival, archive, beecher, cabin, company, edison, edwin, film, harrier, historic, historical, movie, porter, silent, stanton, stowe, tom, uncle