Doublier was involved in what was the earliest known instance of film censorship. He began in his teens as an apprentice for the Lumiere Brothers, who sent him to Moscow to show the newest Lumiere camera to the Russians and to distribute some of the latest Lumiere films in an attempt to open up the Russian market. On May 14, 1896, the formal coronation of Tsar Nicholas II was held inside the Kremlin. A celebration for the public occurred on May 18 on Khodynka Field outside Moscow, with Doublier nearby with his camera. This was a large festival with food and free beer, held on a former military training ground uneven with trenches. When food and drink were handed out, the impoverished crowd rushed to get their share and many tripped and were trampled. Of the approximate 100,000 in attendance, about 1,389 died and roughly 1,300 were injured. Doublier caught most of this on camera, but the film was confiscated and destroyed by Russian authorities.
