This collection consists of early optical devices commonly known as magic lanterns. The first report of the construction of a magic lantern is generally considered to be referring to the Dutch scientist Christiaan Huygens in 1659. The lanterns in this collection are dated from the early 1800s until the mid 1900s and include large professional devices as well as consumer models and toy magic lanterns.
The collection also holds over 500 lantern slides on a wide range of subjects. The slides demonstrate different iterations of glass slide projection and the evolution from hand-painted imagery to photographic and mechanical slides.
A hand-cranked 35 mm and small glass slide projector. This cinematograph was made after 1908 by the limited company Société Anonyme des Etablissements Demaria - Lapierre, when the two Lapierre brothers were obliged to amalgamate with the photographic manufacturer Jules Demaria. Cinematographs always had the ability to show loops, film strips from which the begin and end were glued together. For this purpose the upper reel was mounted above the apparatus on an extending bar. Longer films could also be showed but since there was not take-up reel the film would fall onto the floor or in a bag. The intermittent film transport was brought about by a rotating buckled rod that repeatedly struck the film down.
Black with gold-trim picture and postcard consumer projector with adjustable telescopic lens. This model has two chimneys and two electric bulb fixtures. The Radioptican originally was made by the H. C. White Company of North Bennington, Vermont, that initially manufactured stereoscopes. In about 1915, the Keystone View Company took over production of the Radioptican, which continued to be widely used for educational purposes.
A wooden and brass enlarger/projector by The Midland Camera Co. Ltd. The Midland Camera Company of Birmingham, UK, added "Ltd" to their official title in 1905, but closed in 1911. This projector has "Ltd" it the inscription, dating the model between these two dates. This model has a wooden slide holder that fits 3" by 4" slides, standard measurements for English projectors.
Item is a Sciopticon magic lantern projector with a wooden base and lens panel, and an enamelled iron body and chimney. The body, lens tube can be adjusted and moved according to the distance of the projection and the chimney is retractable.
There are no distinct markings or plaques on this item to identify the manufacturer, but it has similar features to a Woodbury Marcy Sciopticon Magic Lantern
This item consists of a Praxinoscope Theatre created by Charle-Emile Renauld in 1879.
This early animation device uses strips of hand-drawn animations placed on the inside a spinning cylinder with mirrors in order to view the animation reflected inside. This Praxinoscope Theatre has 9 hand-painted animated cardboard strips and 6 background illustrations, allowing the viewer to coordinate different animations
The Praxinoscope Theatre can be seen as a Theatre Optique adapted for a consumer and toy market. Instead of using a projector, the tabletop viewer allows users to look into a window to view the animated pictures. As stated on the device’s box, the toy could be placed by a window to use daylight, and at night a candle was used as the light source. The animation device and its components fit within a wooden box.
