Negro Kiss - Vaudeville Performers Saint Suttle and Gertie Brown

 

— “something good — negro kiss” is a silent short film made in 1898 depicting a black couple including vaudeville performers saint suttle & gertie brown. it is believed to be the earliest known on-screen depiction of black affection. 🏹💌👩🏾‍❤️‍💋‍👨🏿 pic.twitter.com/UkTVRFzF5U

— ৻ꪆ. (@filmsbratz) February 13, 2026

From GROK:

The post shares a 20-second clip from the 1898 silent film "Something Good – Negro Kiss," directed by William Selig and starring vaudeville performers Saint Suttle and Gertie Brown, recognized as the earliest surviving on-screen depiction of Black romantic affection amid widespread racial segregation.

Posted by

@filmsbratz

, an account curating Black women aesthetics, on February 13, 2026, the video amassed over 43,000 likes and 550,000 views, reviving interest in early cinema's rare positive portrayals of Black intimacy.

Replies praise the couple's evident joy and tenderness, while highlighting the film's 2017 rediscovery and the Hefner Moving Image Archive's controversial copyright claim on the restored version, restricting broader public domain access.