Magic lantern

The magic lantern, also known by its Latin name lanterna magica, is an early type of image projector. It used pictures—paintings, prints, or photographs—on transparent plates, usually made of glass. These plates were placed in front of a light source and one or more lenses to project the image onto a screen or wall.

Because a single lens turns an image upside down when projecting it, slides were placed upside down in the magic lantern. This made the picture appear right-side up when shown. The magic lantern was mostly created in the 17th century and became popular for entertainment.

During the 19th century, people began using the magic lantern more for teaching and learning. By the late 19th century, smaller versions were made just for fun as toys. The magic lantern was widely used from the 18th century until the middle of the 20th century. After that, it was replaced by a newer, smaller device called the slide projector that could show many pictures quickly.

Technology

The magic lantern was an early machine used to show pictures on a screen. It used a mirror behind a light to shine through a small glass sheet with an image on it, called a slide. The light then passed through a lens at the front, which focused the image onto a screen, like a white wall, making the picture appear larger.

At first, pictures on slides were painted by hand, often with black paint for the background. Later, printed pictures were also used. Over time, brighter lights were developed to make the images clearer, including special lamps and electric lights.

Precursors

Further information: projector

Before the magic lantern was invented, there were several types of projection systems. Famous people like Giovanni Fontana, Leonardo da Vinci, and Cornelis Drebbel described or drew image projectors that were similar to the magic lantern. During the 17th century, many people were very interested in how things worked, especially with light. Tools like the telescope and microscope became popular, not just for scientists but also as fun things for rich people to look at. The magic lantern was a natural next step after these inventions.

The magic lantern is related to something called a camera obscura. This is a natural effect where light passes through a tiny hole and makes a picture on another surface. People have known about this since ancient times. In the 17th century, people made small boxes with lenses to create this effect more easily. A Dutch inventor named Cornelis Drebbel may have sold one of these boxes to a poet and diplomat named Constantijn Huygens in 1622.

In 1645, a German scholar named Athanasius Kircher wrote about a "Steganographic Mirror" in his book. This was a simple way to project pictures using a mirror and sunlight, but it had some problems. Another scientist, Gaspar Schott, wrote about how people used Kircher’s idea to show amazing things to audiences. For example, a mathematician named André Tacquet showed a journey from China to Belgium using this method.

Invention

Dutch scientist Christiaan Huygens is thought to be one of the possible inventors of the magic lantern. He knew about an old book that described a simple way to project pictures using a lens and a mirror. Christiaan’s father knew someone who used special tricks in magic shows.

The oldest known note about the magic lantern is a page with small drawings that Christiaan made. It is believed he made it in 1659. He called the magic lantern “la lampe” and “la lanterne”. Later in life, he used the term “laterna magica”.

Thomas Rasmussen Walgensten, a mathematician from Gotland, showed the magic lantern in many cities from 1664 to 1670. After he died, his widow sold his lanterns to the Royal Danish Collection, but they are not preserved today.

There are also stories about magic lanterns being made in southern Germany. One craftsman, Johann Franz Griendel, came to Nürnberg in 1671. Another craftsman, Johann Wiesel from Augsburg, made lanterns that were similar to the magic lantern design, but there is no proof he ever made a magic lantern himself.

Further history

Early adopters

Before 1671, only a few people knew about the magic lantern. Most reports from this time involved people connected to Christiaan Huygens. In 1664, an engineer named Pierre Petit wrote to Huygens asking for details to build his own lantern. Petit’s design used a mirror to make the projection brighter, and this became a common feature in later lanterns. Starting in 1661, Huygens shared information with Richard Reeve, who began selling magic lanterns in London.

Athanasius Kircher learned about the magic lantern and wrote about it in his book in 1671. He described a version made by Thomas Walgensten, though the drawings were confusing. Some pictures showed scary scenes, like a person in fire or Death holding a scythe. Kircher suggested hiding the lantern to make the images appear suddenly and surprise the audience.

Educational use and other subjects

Early magic lantern shows were often meant to scare people. But soon, they were used for many different topics. One person described a lantern that could show anything—people, animals, even whole scenes. In the late 1600s, a writer named Johannes Zahn suggested using lanterns for teaching, especially for showing detailed pictures that were hard to draw by hand.

In the 1700s, travelling performers began using magic lanterns in their shows. In France, a man named François Dominique Séraphin used them for shadow plays called “Chinese shadows.” By the late 1700s, magic lanterns were used in schools and museums. A lecturer named Henry Moyes toured America recommending them for science classes. A writer named Stéphanie Félicité used them to teach botany by showing pictures of plants.

Mass slide production

In 1821, a company in London began making strong, portable magic lanterns perfect for classrooms. They also created a way to mass-produce glass slides with printed pictures that could be quickly painted by hand. One of the first sets was called The Elements of Zoology, with over 200 pictures of animals.

Soon, many different slide sets became available, including history, astronomy, and even funny pictures. At first, most magic lanterns were made in Europe, but by the mid-1800s, they were also being made in America and Germany. These later lanterns used smaller slides with paper edges instead of wood.

Waning popularity

Magic lanterns became less popular after movies were invented in the 1890s. They were still used until slide projectors became common in the 1950s.

Moving images

The magic lantern could project moving images, making it an early ancestor of modern film projectors. By switching between pictures or using special glass slides, it could show simple animations. These animations often featured repetitive motions, like a windmill turning or a seesaw moving up and down. The magic lantern could also move itself to create effects, such as sliding on rails to make ghosts appear in shows.

History

Early magic lantern demonstrations might have included simple animations. In 1645, a scientist suggested using the magic lantern to show dramatic scenes. By the late 1600s, others described using the lantern to create magical effects. Over time, inventors created slides with moving parts, such as wheels that turned or masks that hid and revealed images. These mechanical slides made the magic lantern very popular for entertainment.

Types of mechanical slides

Different methods were used to add movement to magic lantern slides:

• Slipping slides: Moving parts slipped over a stationary image.
• Lever slides: Parts moved using a lever, like a girl on a swing.
• Pulley slides: Parts rotated using a pulley, like windmill sails.
• Rack and pinion slides: Parts moved using a handle, like a hot air balloon rising.
• Fantoccini slides: Jointed figures moved with levers, like a monkey doing a somersault.

Dissolving views

A popular effect in the 1800s was the "dissolving view," where one image slowly changed into another, like a landscape turning from day to night. This effect was invented by a pioneer of magic lantern shows and became very popular.

Experiments

Scientists also experimented with the magic lantern, creating unusual effects like moving sand in an hourglass or patterns formed by oils.

Choreutoscope and phenakistiscope-type systems

The magic lantern was adapted to project moving pictures from spinning discs, an early step toward modern film. One version, called the Choreutoscope, used a hand-cranked mechanism to show a sequence of pictures.

Phantasmagoria

Main article: Phantasmagoria

Phantasmagoria was a special kind of show that used magic lanterns to create scary images, often of ghosts. These shows were very popular in Europe from the late 1700s into the 1800s. They used special lighting and moving projectors to make the images look real and scary.

One of the first people to create these kinds of shows was a magician who used magic lanterns with new lamps to make ghost appearances. He showed his performances in Vienna and later in Paris and Britain. Another famous showman also created his own ghost shows and traveled all over Europe with them.

Royal Polytechnic Institution shows

When the Royal Polytechnic Institution in London opened in 1838, it quickly became a famous place for many types of magic lantern shows. These shows were a big part of what they did there. In the main theatre, which had 500 seats, people used six large magic lanterns on moving tables to show very detailed pictures on a big screen. The magic lantern helped make lectures, concerts, and plays more interesting. One popular show was created by Henry Langdon Childe, who used special effects like changing scenes and moving pictures to entertain the audience.

Utsushi-e

Utsushi-e was a fun type of magic lantern show that became popular in Japan in the 1800s. The Dutch likely brought the magic lantern to Japan before the 1700s. In 1803, a performer named Kameya Toraku I started doing shows in Edo. These shows may have been inspired by ghost stories and moving images from other countries. Japanese performers made special lightweight projectors from wood that they could hold in their hands. This let many people control the projections at the same time. They mixed Western ways of making moving pictures with Japanese puppet skills to make the figures come alive and create cool special effects.

Today

Some people today love the bright colors of old lantern slides, thinking no other projectors can match them. The magic lantern and its slides are still liked by collectors and can be seen in many museums, such as the Museum of Precinema in Padua, which has 60 magic lanterns and over 10,000 slides.

Only 28 of the very first magic lanterns made in the early years still exist. Because the old slides are delicate, museums often make digital copies to show people instead of using the real slides.

A group of European universities worked together from June 2015 to May 2018 on a project called A Million Pictures to help save the many lantern slides stored in libraries and museums across Europe.

Real magic lantern shows are not common today. A few performers say they are the only ones doing this kind of show in their area. These include Pierre Albanese and Thomas Bloch, who have been giving live magic lantern shows since 2008. There are also performers in the U.K., Europe, the U.S., Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.

A Dutch theatre group called Lichtbende creates modern light shows and workshops using magic lanterns.