The Little Match Seller is a 1902 British short silent drama film, directed by James Williamson, retelling the classic 1845 Hans Christian Andersen fable of the sad life and tragic death of a little match seller. This major fiction film of the period was, according to Michael Brooke of BFI Screenonline, "a serious attempt at depicting a person's inner emotional life on film through purely visual means (there is no onscreen text of any kind), using trick effects not to provoke laughter but for serious dramatic reasons." It is one of the oldest surviving silent films.

Plot

The film, which is just over 3 minutes long, depicts a young girl selling matchsticks on Christmas Eve. One passerby steals her shoes, and another passes without acknowledging her. As she freezes to death, she becomes increasingly desperate and begins to light her matches for warmth. In the flame of each match, she has visions of Christmas scenes including a tree decked in tinsel and a table full of food. Eventually, she succumbs to the elements and an angel comes to bring her soul to heaven. A policeman discovers her dead body.