Item consists of 2 hand painted Magic Lantern Slides, each depicting a story in 4 circular images. Slides show frogs, cats and dogs swimming, driving cars and riding bicycles. Produced by Gebruder Bing, Nuremberg.

Item is a child's, oil lamp magic lantern set manufactured by German company Ernst Planck. The set contains a tin projector, two-part lens, oil lamp, and 12 lantern slides. Instructions for use are printed in German, French, and English on the underside of the box lid, and are as follows:

"Directions for using. Place the Lantern on a table, the lenses facing a smooth white sheet at a distance of about 3-5 feet. See that the wich of the lamp is cut even, then light the lamp which you have filled with petroleum. Let the flame be as large as it is possible without smooting. Put the lamp into the lantern in a way that the screw of the wick is on one side. Now place the slide upside down in the lantern, adjusting the focusing tube by moving it either in or out until the picture is distinctly seen on the white sheet. If the table is at a farther distance, the pictures will be much larger, but not as distinct. The nearer the lantern is standing to the sheet, the more distinct but smaller the pictures will be. The room must be perfectly dark. "

This glass lantern slide is representative of personas from Imperial Militaria Germany (1871-1918). It has four portraits of men, they have been identified as Pope Leo XIII (1878-1903), Frederick III (Emperor in 1888 for 99 days, successor to William I and predecessor of William II), Helmuth von Meltke the Elder (Chief of Staff of the Prussian Army from 1822-1888) and Otto von Bismarck (Chancellor from 1871-1890). In the portrait of Frederick III, he is wearing the Order of the Black Eagle, which means he was Emperor in this picture. Since Frederick III only ruled in 1888, and the other three were either still in power or just retiring, we have tentatively dated the piece for after 1888. This year refers to the Year of Three Emperors, because it was the year that William I died, the year Frederick III ruled and died, and that William II took over as Emperor. The images are in colour, potentially colour halftone process on a glass slide. Just one pane of glass, printed on verso.