Modern Britain

Gallery: Magic Lantern Slides

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Christmas in Paradise, one of the restored lantern slide collection: University of Bristol Theatre Collection

The magic lantern was the ancestor of the modern slide projector.

Scrub the Workhouse Boy lantern slide: University of Bristol Theatre Collection

Title slide from Scrub, the Workhouse Boy.

Lantern slide from the Christmas in Paradise collection: University of Bristol Theatre Collection

There was a huge market for lantern slides in the 19th Century.

Slide shows a woman and boy in a bare house: University of Bristol Theatre Collection

Projectionists put on shows all over the country with magic lanterns.

A scene from a pub with a woman at the bar :University of Bristol Theatre Collection

The photographic image was sandwiched between two plates of glass.

Lantern slide shows men brawling outside a pub: University of Bristol Theatre Collection

The collection is rare as so few lantern slides have survived.