List of lantern slide collections explained

This list of lantern slide collections provides an overview of collections held in institutions internationally. The magic lantern was a very popular medium, particularly so from the 18th to the early 20th Century. There are many collections which remain uncatalogued. As a result, this list is likely to continue to expand as more information is made available.

Terminology

The terms "lantern slides" and "magic lantern" are used here as umbrella terms for describing objects related to the historical art of projection. Various terms can be found across history, disciplines, intended audiences or for descriptions of specific formats of slides and types of lanterns. In English, historical terms for "lantern slides" are "transparencies", "photographic transparencies", "slides" and "magic lantern slides". Alternative terms for magic lanterns include "optical lantern", "sciopticon", "stereopticon", "projection apparatus", "toy lantern" and more. The Lucerna Magic Lantern Web Resource [1] and the Magic Lantern and Lantern Slide Catalog Collection on Media History Digital Library [2] 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.

About the collections

The majority of the collections included form part of museum, archive, and library collections which are made available to researchers either by appointment or through digital platforms. Magic, or optical, lantern slides vary in date, subject, format and use, and the collections listed reflect that variation. The collections are arranged by country, specifying collection name and description where known. Collections owned by private individuals are not listed.

Australia

InstitutionDepartmentLocationCollection
Museum VictoriaMelbourne
  • Various Collections.[3] Around 4,000 slides, ranging from narrative slides to astronomical, industrial, portraits, advertisements and more.
National Film and Sound ArchiveCanberra
  • Documents and Artefacts Collection.[4] 10,000 glass slides including cinema slides, song slides and theatre advertisements.
University of MelbourneMelbourne
  • School of Ecosystem and Forest Science (SEFS) lantern glass slide collection.[5] 950 chiefly black & white photographic lantern slides, 8x8cm, compiled to provide knowledge about trees and forests in Victoria as well as about their environmental location.

Canada

InstitutionDepartmentLocationCollection
Digitized Okanagan HistoryKelowna, BC
Toronto International Film FestivalThe Film Reference LibraryToronto, Ontario
  • Lantern Slide Collection.[9] The collection consists of 91 narrative slides.

Italy

InstitutionDepartmentLocationCollection
National Museum of CinemaTurinOver 8,000 standard and movement slides from two major collections, some of which have been digitised.[13]
  • Maria Adriana Prolo Collection[14]
  • John and William Barnes Collection.
Museum of PrecinemaPadua
  • Minici Zotti Collection.[15] Mostly hand painted, illustrated with engravings transferred onto glass or hand-coloured photographic slides. The collection also includes dissolving view slides, chromatropes and other movement slides.

Netherlands

InstitutionDepartmentLocationCollection
EYE Film Institute NetherlandsFilm museum Amsterdam
  • Slide Archive with more than 7,000 lantern slides in various formats and types; some from the 18th Century. Contains many toy slides, lecture sets, hand-painted dissolving views and some apparatus. Parts of the collection are accessible in the EYE Collection Database, a little fraction (c. 2,000 images) is accessible online via the Lucerna Magic Lantern Web Resource [16]
Museum SlotenMuseum Stedhûs SleatSloten / Sleat
  • Local Museum that has the collection of lanternist Peter Bonnet on permanent display[17]
Speelgoedmuseum DeventerDeventer
  • Local toy museum with approximately 200 lantern slides and other optical media collections.[18]
Stichting Nationaal Museum van WereldculturenStichting Nationaal Museum van WereldculturenLeiden
  • Slide Archive with approximately 10,000 lantern slides, mostly in standard format, used by museum-, educational- and public lectures in Afrikamuseum, Tropenmuseum (in history part of the Royal Tropical Institute)and Museum Volkenkunde. Most slides were produced between 1900 and 1960s. Most of the collection is digitized in own database, accessible online on our collectionsite[19]
Utrecht UniversityUtrecht University MuseumUtrecht
  • Slide Archive with approximately 30,000 lantern slides, mostly in standard format, used by various departments for university teaching and public lectures. Most slides were produced between 1895 and 1950s. Parts of the collection are digitized in own database, a little fraction is accessible online via the Lucerna Magic Lantern Web Resource [20]

South Africa

InstitutionDepartmentLocationCollection
Rhodes UniversityLidbetter Photographic CollectionMakhanda
  • The Lidbetter Photographic collection consists of 167 glass negatives that are 17 x 22 cm in size, 10 that are 12 x 16 cm, and 9 that are 8 x 10.5 cm. In addition there are 80 plus non-glass negatives of various sizes, all dated from 1925 onwards.[22]
Rhodes UniversitySir George Cory Lantern Slide CollectionMakhanda
  • Sir George Cory Lantern Slide Collection.[23]

United Kingdom

InstitutionDepartmentLocationCollection
Franses Tapestry ArchiveLondon
  • A collection of lantern slides depicting historic UK interiors including tapestries, emboideries and lace. Around 600 slides.
Science Museum GroupLondon, Bradford
  • A wide selection of lantern slides from the 18th and 19th century, including dissolving views, slipping slides, narrative sets and large format slides made for the Royal Polytechnic Institution in London.[24]
University of BristolThe Theatre CollectionBristol
  • Magic Lantern Slide Collection.[25] Several sets of lantern slides from the late 19th Century, some of which have been digitised.
University of ExeterBill Douglas Cinema MuseumExeter
  • Bill Douglas and Peter Jewell Collection.[26] Around 1,000 lantern slides.
University of BrightonScreen Archive South EastBrighton
  • Screen Archive South East.[27] Several thousands of slides mostly from the 19th century. Some are digitised and accessible via the collection's web page.
University of GlasgowGlasgow University Library, Special Collections DepartmentGlasgow
  • Ashton Photographic Collection.[28] Over three thousand slides brought together by amateur photographer John Cooper Ashton depicting 19th century European scenery, antiquities and natural history.
University of ManchesterJohn Rylands LibraryManchester
  • Brethren Lantern Slides Collection.[29] 100 lantern slides depicting Christian missionary activity around the world, all of which have been digitised[30] and are available to view online.[31]
University of SheffieldThe University Library, Special Collections DepartmentSheffield
  • Beet Lantern Slide Collection.[32] Around 2,500 lantern slides on a wide range of subjects. It includes photographic slides depicting Sheffield and home-made glass slides.
The Folklore SocietyUniversity College London's Special CollectionsLondon
  • A collection of lantern slides illustrating various folk tales from around the world by the artist and photographer Henry Underhill. Over 300 slides.

United States

InstitutionDepartmentLocationCollection
Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and SciencesMargaret Herrick LibraryLos Angeles, California
  • Thanhouser Studio Collection.[33] 17 Lantern slides from Thanhouser Film Corporation (née Thanhouser Company).
Columbia UniversityDepartment of Art History and ArchaeologyNew York City, New York
Library of CongressPrints and Photograph DivisionWashington, D.C.
  • Frances Benjamin Johnston Collection.[35] Lantern slides for Garden and Historic House Lectures.
  • Genthe Collection.[36] Over 470 photographic lantern slides.
Ohio State UniversityJerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee Theatre Research InstituteColumbus, Ohio
  • Joel E. Rubin Collection.[37] The collection consists of materials relating to lighting design and equipment. It includes hand-painted scenery and 'pose' lantern slides.
University of South FloridaSpecial Collections Department, Tampa LibraryTampa, Florida
  • Photographic Lantern Slide Collection.[38] Around 600 geographic/travel slides.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Lucerna Magic Lantern Web Resource. slides.uni-trier.de. 25 October 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20171026001321/https://slides.uni-trier.de/. 26 October 2017. live.
  2. Web site: Magic Lantern and Lantern Slide Catalog Collection on MHDL. mediahistoryproject.org. 25 October 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20171025185315/http://mediahistoryproject.org/magiclantern/. 25 October 2017. live.
  3. Web site: Explore Museums Victoria's humanities and natural sciences collections. museumsvictoria.com.au. 12 March 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170312003144/https://collections.museumvictoria.com.au/. 12 March 2017. live.
  4. Web site: Documents and artefacts - NFSA. www.nfsa.gov.au/. 14 February 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190214235607/https://www.nfsa.gov.au/about/what-we-collect/documents-and-artefacts. 14 February 2019. live.
  5. Web site: Lantern Glass Slide Collection. researchdata.ands.org.au/. 14 February 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190215050553/https://researchdata.ands.org.au/lantern-glass-slide-collection/933470/. 15 February 2019. live.
  6. Web site: Vrielyck Collection. muhka.be. 13 September 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170913135958/https://www.muhka.be/collections/subcollections/25-collectie-vrielynck. 13 September 2017. live.
  7. News: Lantern Glass Slides. Digitized Okanagan History. 2018-07-31. en. https://web.archive.org/web/20180801075709/https://doh.arcabc.ca/islandora/object/okeefe:lantern. 2018-08-01. live.
  8. Web site: O'Keefe Ranch Historical Archives. O'Keefe Ranch. en-US. 2018-07-31. https://web.archive.org/web/20180801035735/https://okeeferanch.ca/ranch-history/collections-and-research. 2018-08-01. live.
  9. Web site: Lantern slide collection. 15 March 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170316204102/http://collection.tiff.net/mwebcgi/mweb/mweb?request=record;id=349547;type=902. 16 March 2017. live.
  10. Web site: Lantern slide collection. 12 March 2018.
  11. Web site: Laterna magica - Cinémathèque française. CINEMATHEQUE. FRANCAISE. laternamagica.fr. 12 March 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20161017003951/http://www.laternamagica.fr/. 17 October 2016. live.
  12. Web site: Diaarchiv des Kunstgeschichtlichen Seminars. 18 May 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170425184143/http://www.dia-archiv-kunstgeschichte.uni-hamburg.de/. 25 April 2017. live.
  13. Web site: Museo Nazionale del Cinema. museocinema.it. 12 March 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170415053712/http://www.museocinema.it/collezioni/LanternaMagica.aspx. 15 April 2017. live.
  14. Web site: Museo Nazionale del Cinema. museocinema.it. 12 March 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170321085016/http://www.museocinema.it/apparecchi.php. 21 March 2017. live.
  15. Web site: homepage - Museo del PRECINEMA - Collezione Minici Zotti. minicizotti.it. 12 March 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170810001624/http://www.minicizotti.it/index.php/homepage/?lang=en. 10 August 2017. live.
  16. Web site: Lucerna Magic Lantern Web Resource. slides.uni-trier.de. 12 September 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170912234259/https://slides.uni-trier.de/collection/index.php?id=2500360. 12 September 2017. live.
  17. Web site: Museum Sloten - Toverlantaarns. museumsloten.nl. 12 September 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170912192422/https://www.museumsloten.nl/zien-beleven/toverlantaarns/. 12 September 2017. live.
  18. Web site: Speelgoedmuseum Deventer - Optical toys. speelgoedmuseumdeventer.nl. 15 January 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180116135050/http://www.speelgoedmuseumdeventer.nl/collectie/spelen-met-je-ogen/. 16 January 2018. live.
  19. Web site: NMVW collection. 25 May 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20151004012158/http://collectie.wereldculturen.nl/#/query/2233e2c0-b0d3-429a-b795-. 4 October 2015. live.
  20. Web site: Lucerna Magic Lantern Web Resource. slides.uni-trier.de. 12 September 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170913091455/https://slides.uni-trier.de/collection/index.php?id=2500369. 13 September 2017. live.
  21. Web site: The Tomàs Mallol Collection. museudelcinema.cat. 13 September 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170913141318/http://www.museudelcinema.cat/eng/colleccio.php. 13 September 2017. live.
  22. Web site: Lidbetter Photographic Collection. 26 August 2019.
  23. Web site: Sir George Cory Lantern Slide Collection. 26 August 2019.
  24. Web site: Lantern slides. Science Museum Group Collection. 4 May 2020. Science Museum Group.
  25. Web site: Magic Lantern Slide Collection - Theatre Collection - University of Bristol. University of. Bristol. bristol.ac.uk. 12 March 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170315085151/http://www.bristol.ac.uk/theatre-collection/explore/theatre/magic-lantern-slide-collection/. 15 March 2017. live.
  26. Web site: Explore the collection / Lantern Slides - The Bill Douglas Cinema Museum. bdcmuseum.org.uk. 12 March 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170315174819/http://www.bdcmuseum.org.uk/explore/lantern-slides/. 15 March 2017. live.
  27. Web site: Screen Archive South East - University of Brighton. 12 September 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170918042116/http://screenarchive.brighton.ac.uk/. 2017-09-18. dead.
  28. Web site: Ashton Photographic Collection - University of Glasgow. 12 April 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180412212100/https://www.gla.ac.uk/myglasgow/specialcollections/collectionsa-z/ashtoncollection/#d.en.118775/. 12 April 2018. live.
  29. Web site: Brethren Lantern Slides - John Rylands Library - University of Manchester. University of. Manchester. man.ac.uk. 28 March 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170329050501/http://archives.li.man.ac.uk/ead/html/gb133bls-p1.shtml. 29 March 2017. live.
  30. Web site: Christian Brethren Magic Lantern Slides now online. 28 March 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170329051642/https://rylandscollections.wordpress.com/2017/03/22/christian-brethren-magic-lantern-slides-now-online/. 29 March 2017. live.
  31. Web site: Brethren Lantern Slides. 28 March 2017.
  32. Web site: Beet Lantern Slide Collection - Special Collections - The University Library - The University of Sheffield. University of. Sheffield. sheffield.ac.uk. 12 March 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170315174337/https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/library/special/beet. 15 March 2017. live.
  33. Web site: Thanhouser Studio Collection: Special Collections. oscars.org. 4 April 2017.
  34. Web site: Illuminating Art History . Media Center for Art History . 7 December 2023.
  35. Web site: Frances Benjamin Johnston Collection: Lantern Slides for Garden & Historic House Lectures (Prints and Photographs Reading Room, Library of Congress). loc.gov. 12 March 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170309171620/http://www.loc.gov/rr/print/coll/fbjlanterns.html. 9 March 2017. live.
  36. Web site: Genthe Collection - About this Collection. 1 January 1896. loc.gov. 12 March 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170330071831/http://www.loc.gov/pictures/collection/agc/. 30 March 2017. live.
  37. Web site: Finding aid for the Joel E. Rubin Collection. ohiolink.edu. 12 March 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20150109215821/http://ead.ohiolink.edu/xtf-ead/view?docId=ead%2FOU-TR0012.xml&query=&brand=default. 9 January 2015. live.
  38. Web site: Photographic lantern slide collection. usf.edu. 12 March 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170315090109/http://digital.lib.usf.edu/SFS0032033/00001. 15 March 2017. live.

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