Generic Work

May Irwin Kiss

An 18-second film featuring actors May Irwin and John C. Rice performing a kiss scene from the New York stage comedy 'The Widow Jones' by John J. McNally. Filmed at the request of the New York World newspaper, this became the most popular Edison Vitascope film of 1896. The actors get ready to kiss, begin to kiss, and continue kissing in what was described as bringing down the house every time. This film was selected for the National Film Registry and represents one of cinema's earliest close-up shots.

Title
  • May Irwin Kiss

Last modified
  • 02/09/2026

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Bibliographic citation
  • May Irwin kiss, 1896. Library of Congress Motion Picture, Broadcasting and Recorded Sound Division.

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  • work-1

  • Library of Congress Motion Picture, Broadcasting and Recorded Sound Division

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