When a tramp saves a couple from a robbery, they reward him with a large bank note. Alas, because he is clearly a tramp, everyone assumes he is a thief. It is only when he steals another man's decent clothes that they accept him as being able to pay..... and he has left his money in the rags he abandoned.
There seems to be some doubt about the talent behind this piquant comedy. The IMDb shows its director as Louis Feuillade and its date as 1906; the print available on YouTube shows it as Alice Guy and claims it dates from 1907. Because Guy was was the higher-ranking director at Gaumont in this period (indeed, I would argue she was the first movie director), I side with YouTube.
Whichever is correct, it is a telling commentary on the societal norms of the period. It is not enough to have money; you have to look like it. It's still true.
There seems to be some doubt about the talent behind this piquant comedy. The IMDb shows its director as Louis Feuillade and its date as 1906; the print available on YouTube shows it as Alice Guy and claims it dates from 1907. Because Guy was was the higher-ranking director at Gaumont in this period (indeed, I would argue she was the first movie director), I side with YouTube.
Whichever is correct, it is a telling commentary on the societal norms of the period. It is not enough to have money; you have to look like it. It's still true.