Magic Lanterns

August 14, 2018

"Bondhusbreen and Brufossen" by Samuel J. Beckett (ca. 1890-1915)

Long before Powerpoint or modern slide projectors, there were magic lanterns, an optical viewing device, powered originally by candles or oil lamps, that projected images onto a screen or wall.  Prior to photography, lantern slides were hand drawn or painted on glass.  Photographs were later printed directly on glass and hand colored, like the one above.  In an era before movies or TV, magic lantern shows were a popular form of entertainment in the U.S. and Europe.  Samuel J. Beckett (no relation to the playwright, so far as I can determine) was a British travel photographer who published a book called The Fjords and Folk of Norway (1915).  Bondhusbreen is a glacier in Norway, pictured here with the Brufossen waterfall behind it.      

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