“The Gay Shoe Clerk”, August 1903

- Edison Manufacturing Company film (Directed by Edwin S. Porter)

“Interior of shoe-store. Young lady and chaperon enter. While a fresh young clerk is trying a pair of high-heeled slippers on the young lady, the chaperon seats herself and gets interested in a paper. The scene changes to a close view, showing the lady’s foot and the clerk’s hands tying the slipper. Her dress is slightly raised, showing a shapely ankle, and the clerk’s hands begin to tremble, making it difficult for him to tie the slipper. The picture returns to the previous scene. The clerk makes rapid progress with his fair customer, and while he is in the act of kissing her the chaperon looks up and proceeds to beat the clerk with an umbrella. Then she takes the young lady by the arm, and leads her from the store.”

- Edison Catalog

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8 comments to “The Gay Shoe Clerk”, August 1903

  • Ray Martin

    Filth. Utter filth! On a family site, too. I don’t know what this modern world is coming to.

    :D

  • Erik Eblana

    OH how we yearn for the days when the word gay was used without causing offence or embarrassment!

  • garwayvillager

    gay???
    i thought he was going to end up putting the shoes on.
    i’ve seen gayer. believe me.

  • The gay shoe clerk from 1903

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  • SimonP

    The woman on the right hand side would probably been consigned to an asylum for the rest of her life for such wanton behaviour.

  • Jorel

    Ah!… You shouldn’t had post the text - it’s a spoiler!!!!! :D

  • Buzz

    Yep, not the gayest of shoe clerks, but still…gets his a$$ beaten for “making time”

  • Pat

    Gay at that time meant promiscuous or loose, not specifically homosexual. I expect there were people even then bemoaning the use. See magazines such as Gay Broadway.

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