Helpful tips

Are magic lantern slides valuable?

Are magic lantern slides valuable?

How do I find out if my magic lantern slides are rare or valuable? Remarkably, as most types of lanterns slides were produced in large quantities and sent all over the world, they are still quite common and most are relatively inexpensive.

When were magic lantern slides invented?

1600’s
The magic lantern was invented in the 1600’s, probably by Christiaan Huygens, a Dutch scientist. It was the earliest form of slide projector and has a long and fascinating history.

Who invented lantern slides?

Generally, they were considered useful for little more than children’s toys. It was not until 1849, ten years after the invention of photography, that the more modern conception of the lantern slide was invented by the brothers William and Frederick Langenheim in Philadelphia.

How were magic lantern slides made?

Originally, glass slides made from drawings or paintings were held up in a device, lit up by lantern or candle light, and projected on a wall. The resulting projections were often animated and accompanied by music as a form of entertainment.

How do you store magic lantern slides?

Lantern slides are best stored in four-flap wrappers (to prevent scratching the glass) and vertically in boxes such as these from our sponsor Hollinger Metal Edge.

What size are magic lantern slides?

The magic lantern slides that were used in those large magic lanterns mostly had the format 8.2 x 8.2 cm or 8.2 x 10 cm. Those slides could not be simply placed in the slide holder of the lantern.

What came after the magic lantern?

It was increasingly used for education during the 19th century. The magic lantern was in wide use from the 18th century until the mid-20th century when it was superseded by a compact version that could hold many 35 mm photographic slides: the slide projector.

How old are glass slides?

Most glass slides produced before the 1880s were made with albumen. Collodion was also used in the early forms. After 1890, glass slides were commonly made from commercially available gelatin silver plates….B&W Glass Slide.

Temp. 40–68°F (4–20°C)
RH 30–40% RH

How do you clean magic lantern slides?

Put a little cleaner on a wipe and use little circle-movements to clean side A. Use a clean bit of the same wipe with more cleaner to do side B. Put the slide down (unstacked) on the paper at the upper right side of the table (or the other side if your dominant hand requires it. Next slide, new wipe, same motions.

What are magic lantern slides used for?

Lantern slides were used for home entertainment and public lectures, and they were displayed in photographic exhibitions. Alfred Stieglitz made lantern slides throughout the 1890s.

How do you store Magic Lantern slides?

Where did the idea of the lantern slide come from?

The lantern slide has its origins in 17th century optical viewing devices which came to be known as “magic lanterns.” The earliest slides for magic lanterns consisted of hand-painted images on glass, projected by itinerant showmen telling stories about the images that were projected.

Where can I find the magic lantern slide collection?

The Lucerna Magic Lantern Web Resource and the Magic Lantern and Lantern Slide Catalog Collection on Media History Digital Library offer sources that display the range of terminology used. This list welcomes all references, independent of the term that the respective collection uses to describe its material.

How many lantern slides are in the cinema?

The dedicated portal for searching the Cinémathèque’s collection of around 17,000, 18th to early 20th century, lantern slides. Slide Archive. Around 170,000 lantern size glass slides, manufactured from 1900 up to 1980 from all fields of Archeology and Art History, used by famous art historians such as Erwin Panofsky and Wolfgang Schöne.

When did people start to use magic lanterns?

Towards the end of the 19th century, newer technologies like carbon arc, acetylene, and incandescent lamps would also be adapted for use in magic lanterns. During the 1700s, public shows of magic lantern projections became more common, in part because of improved lenses and mechanical slide movements.