Accession No
0591
Brief Description
set of 18 magic lantern slides, various story and history scenes, by Carpenter and Westley, English, 1860 (c)
Origin
England; London; 24 Regent Street
Maker
Carpenter and Westley
Class
optical
Earliest Date
1860
Latest Date
1860
Inscription Date
Material
wood (mahogany); glass
Dimensions
each slide length 175mm; breadth 94mm; thickness 10mm
Special Collection
Robert Whipple collection
Provenance
Purchased from T.H. Court on 01/03/1930.
Inscription
‘CARPENTER AND WESTLEY
24 Regent Street LONDON’ (on face of each slide)
Description Notes
Mahogany frame with circular aperture; etched hand-painted slides.
12 slides showing the story of Old Mother Hubbard
.1 = Old Mother Hubbard (with a dog)
.2 = Old Mother Hubbard (with bread and a dead dog)
.3 = Old Mother Hubbard (with a coffin)
.4 = Old Mother Hubbard (with two bottles)
.5 = Old Mother Hubbard (with a hat)
.6 = Old Mother Hubbard (with a wig)
.7 = Old Mother Hubbard (with a basket of fruit)
.8 = Old Mother Hubbard (with a coat)
.9 = Old Mother Hubbard (with shoes)
.10 = Old Mother Hubbard (with a shirt)
.11 = Old Mother Hubbard (with stockings)
.12 = Old Mother Hubbard (with a dressed dog)
.13 = ‘The Crystal Palace’
.14 = ‘The Crystal Palace alight’ (fire)
.15 = ‘Mount Vesuvius’ (volcano)
.16 = ‘Mount Hekla’ (volcano)
.17 = ‘Icebergs’
.18 = ‘Snow Village’ (igloos and a dog)
Title on edge of each in ink.
References
Events
Description
Magic lanterns are an early type of image projector. They use a powerful light source to project images onto a screen or wall. They were the precursors to modern slide, overhead and motion picture projectors. Although first developed in the 17th century, it was in the late 18th and 19th centuries that the design of the instrument became developed enough to make magic lantern shows a popular form of general entertainment and scientific and artistic education.
The basic elements of a magic lantern are a metal or wooden body, a light source, a condensing lens, a focusing lens, and interchangeable slides that were commonly produced in sets. Early lantern slides were hand painted on glass, but by the late nineteenth century a number of companies were mass producing slide sets utilising photographic transparencies. Hand cranked mechanisms were sometimes also built into the slides to produce elaborate animated effects. Slide sets might show recent events, exotic locations from around the world, or illustrate tales and fables. For scientific lecturers, the magic lantern was an invaluable instrument for illustrating their public talks, enabling the projection of spectacular astronomical images or massive diagrams of plants and animals.
03/04/2014
Created by: Joshua Nall on 03/04/2014
FM:44237
Images (Click to view full size):
