Page 68 - All About History - Issue 52-17

Magic lantern

and disappear; snow would fall; or a building would Victorian, melodramatic tradition, the slides –
catch fire, all adding to the drama and excitement produced by Bamforth and others – would tell a
of the show. tale of temptation and drunkenness that led to
With the social changes that swept through ruin. In one popular slide narrative, The Gin Fiend, a
the 19th century came the potential for squalor, drunken husband torments his wife who, after she
misery and suffering. The harshness of industrial contemplates suicide, is eventually killed by him
life often found solace in drink, gambling, violence in a fit of drunken rage. He is so full of remorse he
and crime. Many institutions and societies sprang ends his days in a mental asylum.
up during the Victorian era that would attempt to As for the church as a whole, just as the imagery
combat such low moral standards of behaviour. within stained-glass windows held a message for
The Band of Hope and the Church of England all to follow God’s word, so too the magic-lantern
Temperance Society were just two such groups shows were adopted as a tool for spreading the
that turned lantern shows to their advantage, church’s message, only in a far more personal and
making direct links between alcohol, poverty and visually dramatic way. People could now view
domestic violence. the latest missionary work in the far-flung and
The Temperance lantern shows were a regular un-Christian parts of the world, the most recent
entertainment in church and village halls around dramatic episode slides on the evils of sin, or the
the country and all over the world. And they words of the latest popular hymn or religious
were uncompromising in their message. In true poem. Lantern slides added another dimension
“Lantern shows were a regular

entertainment in church” The Temperance lantern shows were a regular
entertainment in church and village halls

The magic uncovered Light, mirror and lens: a simple

but
combination
powerful
Outer case or box Concave mirror Light source Lens
This was originally very plain and functional Specifically shaped to Originally, candlelight or Developed through the
but became more sophisticated and elaborate capture, concentrate and oil lamps were used, and 17th and 18th centuries,
as the 19th century progressed. As larger, more reflect as much available produced a fairly dim light. the quality of lens became
static performances became the norm, heavier light as possible. The The invention of limelight such that images were
materials could be used, such as decorative wood quality of the mirror had in the 1820s improved much sharper. Adjusted
and ornate decoration in brass and other metals. a direct impact on the this considerably, but as a manually forwards and
quality of the projected mixture of hydrogen and backwards to focus, many
image, giving the slides oxygen it was dangerous. later lanterns used two or
every opportunity to be Electric light, although not even three lenses for use
seen at their best. brighter, was much safer. of multiple slide effects.

Glass slide
These would vary,
from single or strips
of static slides being
pushed across the lens,
to intricate mechanical
slides that could mimic
movement. Hand painting
or tinting processes added
deep, vivid colours, and
the onset of photography
gave a new realism.

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