Victorian magic lantern slides and glass plate negatives

The magic lantern is an early type of image projector and was one of the first devices that allowed images to be projected onto a surface, It played an important role in the development of modern projection technology.

The earliest known reference to a magic lantern comes from a Dutch scientist named Christiaan Huygens, who described a simple projection device in 1659. The first true magic lantern, however, was developed by a German Jesuit priest named Athanasius Kircher in the 1670s. Kircher's lantern used a concave mirror to reflect light from a candle onto a glass slide that contained an image. The image was then projected onto a wall or screen.

Over the next century, the magic lantern became increasingly popular as a form of entertainment and education. Lantern shows were held in public places like theatres and town squares, and lanterns were used to illustrate lectures and scientific more... demonstrations. The images on the slides ranged from simple illustrations to highly detailed paintings and photographs.

In the 19th century, the magic lantern was gradually replaced by newer projection technologies, such as the film projector. However, the lantern continued to be used in certain applications, such as religious services and traveling shows. Some of the lantern's technological advancements, such as the use of electric light sources, paved the way for the development of modern projection technology. less...