A 1897 film discovered in a forgotten trunk in Michigan reveals the first appearance of a robot in the history of world cinema.

Written by Fabio Lucas Carvalho

Published on 20/04/2026 at 23:04

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The restoration of deteriorated nitrate reels by the Library of Congress allowed for the recovery of a work from 1897 that documents the birth of science fiction and robotics in cinematography.

The Library of Congress announced the discovery and restoration of a silent film long thought lost for over a century, which contains the first appearance of a robot in a cinematic work. Titled Gugusse and the Automaton (Gugusse et l’Automate), the 45-second short film was created in 1897 by pioneering French filmmaker Georges Méliès.

The film was found in an old metal trunk belonging to a family in Michigan, preserving a historical record that predates the very creation of the term “robot” by 24 years.

The hidden treasure in the Michigan trunk

The discovery occurred when Bill McFarland, a retired professor from Grand Rapids, Michigan, decided to take a box of film reels from his great-grandfather to the National Audio-Visual Conservation Center of the Library of Congress. McFarland’s great-grandfather, William Frisbee, was a teacher and farmer who acted as a traveling cinema exhibitor in the late 19th century.

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Precursor elements of science fiction

The film’s narrative features a clown, played by Georges Méliès himself, who interacts with a mechanical anthropomorphic figure called Pierrot Automate. In the plot, the clown uses a crank to control the movements of the automaton, which gradually gains autonomy and attacks its creator. This theme of a technological creation turning against its inventor is one of the oldest and most persistent tropes in science fiction, established in the first filmed appearance of a robot.

To create the effect of the automaton growing and shrinking, Méliès used substitution editing techniques, which would become his trademark in later classics such as A Trip to the Moon.

The use of painted backdrops representing a clock workshop reinforces the artisanal and inventive atmosphere of cinema at the time. By capturing the first appearance of a robot, the French filmmaker not only innovated technically but also laid the groundwork for the genre that would explore the relationship between humans and machines.

Preservation and Legacy of Georges Méliès

The restoration of the film is considered a milestone for the archaeology of cinema, allowing the public to access the work of one of the most plagiarized directors of his era. It is estimated that Méliès produced over 500 films, but most were lost due to the fragility of nitrate and the deliberate discarding by the author himself during times of financial crisis.

The recovery of the first appearance of a robot offers a new perspective on how 19th-century audiences perceived mechanization and emerging technology.

The version recovered by Bill McFarland is a distribution copy, likely produced a few generations after the original negative from 1897. Currently, the short film is available in high definition on the Library of Congress website, ensuring that the historical record is preserved for future generations.

With the revelation of the first appearance of a robot, the history of cinema gains a fundamental chapter that connects the mechanical ingenuity of the past with the futuristic imagination of the present.

With information Smithsonianmag

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A 1897 film discovered in a forgotten trunk in Michigan reveals the first appearance of a robot in the history of world cinema.

The restoration of deteriorated nitrate reels by the Library of Congress allowed for the recovery of a work from 1897 that documents the birth of science fiction and robotics in cinematography.

The hidden treasure in the Michigan trunk

Precursor elements of science fiction

Preservation and Legacy of Georges Méliès

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A 1897 film discovered in a forgotten trunk in Michigan reveals the first appearance of a robot in the history of world cinema.

The restoration of deteriorated nitrate reels by the Library of Congress allowed for the recovery of a work from 1897 that documents the birth of science fiction and robotics in cinematography.

The hidden treasure in the Michigan trunk

Precursor elements of science fiction

Preservation and Legacy of Georges Méliès

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After ten days orbiting the Moon, science confirms that the astronauts of the Artemis II mission return with altered bodies.

On the coast of China, fishermen received an official reward after finding 10 foreign underwater devices capable of “stealing secrets” in just two years, showing that the silent war for the seabed has already reached the nets of those who rely on fishing.

The primate that science has called peaceful for decades has proven to be as aggressive as the chimpanzee in a study with thousands of hours of footage that debunks one of the greatest myths of primatology.

While the USA goes to the Moon in search of energy, China silently explores an abundant stone on Earth capable of generating energy for the next 60,000 years.

Someone cut corners on the foundation of a $400 million skyscraper in Manhattan, and now the 60-story building is leaning continuously while glass panels threaten to fall onto the street.

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