Accession No
6751
Brief Description
cased set of microscopy magic lantern slides used by the Reverend W. H. Dallinger, English, 1880 (c)
Origin
England
Maker
Class
demonstration; microscopes
Earliest Date
1880
Latest Date
1880
Inscription Date
Material
wood; glass; metal; cloth
Dimensions
case width 455mm; depth 380mm; height 165mm plates width 110mm; depth 110mm; height 10mm
Special Collection
Provenance
Purchased from Charles Miller Ltd., London, on 6 November 2018
Inscription
'REV. W. H. DALLINGER D.S.c F.R.S./Ingleside Lee/London S.E.' [brass plate on case]
Description Notes
Cased set of microscopy magic lantern slides used by the Reverend R. G. Dallinger, English, 1880 (c)
The case is made of wood with a brass plate engraved 'REV. W. H. DALLINGER D.S.c F.R.S./Ingleside Lee/London S.E.'. There are two buckles with a leather handle partially attached. The case cannot be fully fastened with the two hooks. The interior of the case is lined with blue cloth and not evenly sectionalised in 6 sections for the slides. There are 104 slides in the case, with 6 extra slides (2 squares, 4 slightly larger) which came in a separate cardboard box. The slides are for microscopic studies and teaching, fully coloured, mostly wooden framed.
References
Events
Description
William Henry Dallinger (1839-1909) was born and raised in an Anglican family, but he turned a Methodist when he was 16. Although a religious person, Dallinger was dedicated to popularising science and spreading knowledge. Darwin's theory of evolution influenced Dallinger's scientific perspective, and with John James Drysdale, he proposed two claims that were against Henry Bastian (1837-1915), who suggested living form should originate from nonliving life.
In 1884 Dallinger was invited by the British Association for the Advancement of Science (BAAS) to give a public lecture in Montreal. At the end of his lecture, he used multiple slides to illustrate his lifelong research on micro-organisms. Images of monads and flagella were projected to support his idea that "only the living can give rise to the living." It was a successful speech and was received positively.
These slides include more than micro-organisms, such as optical phenomena, optical instruments, and natural creatures. Through the light, one can see that perhaps Rev. Dallinger has reused some of the slides, for the glass shows signs of repainting to cover previous patterns. The wooden case include 104 slides, among which four are without wooden frames. There are six slides that don't fit in the box and are stored separately.
01/08/2022
Created by: Guey-Mei Hsu on 01/08/2022
FM:47539
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