Was the film “The Little Snow Waif” inspired by the Little Match Girl?

Have now listed and documented 20 silent film posters at the Harris dating from 1910 to 1915. Includes films by Pathe, Edison, Lubin, Cines, IMP, Kalem and Selig. My current favorites are the two posters for The Little Snow Waif. It is listed on the BFI database as being made in 1913. This one reminds me of the story of the match seller or the Little Match Girl by Hans Christian Anderson. I read this when I was a little girl – it is a very sad story of a young match seller who dies in the snow on New Years Eve. The Little Match Girl was first published in 1845, so by 1913 it would have been very attractive to prospective film makers. One of the posters depicts an angelic child lying in the snow outside the window of a restaurant on Christmas Eve. Inside the restaurant people are enjoying a lavish meal – unaware of of the little girls plight… Handkerchiefs at the ready!

About Emma Heslewood

I am a historian and museum curator with broad interests including early topical films, social and industrial history, numismatics, archaeology and WW1. I am an expert on the life and work of the Victorian acrobat and topical film maker - Will Onda.
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