Mechanical slides part 1

MECHANICAL SLIDES
PART 1

Of all the slides prepared for the magic lantern, those with mechanical effects prove the most interesting to persons of all ages.

The slides shown by the itinerant lanternists were probably all of the panoramic kind. This type of slide, an oblong glass containing a series of images which, passed slowly in front of the lens, gave a sense of movement, but soon the desire to animate the projected images led to the invention of many ingenious mechanical slides.
These slides are provided with slipping plates, pulleys, levers, rackwork and other arrangements, by means of which life and motion are apparently imparted to the objects exhibited.

		The Dutch lanternist Daan Buddingh at one of his magic lantern shows.
Hand painted single slipping slide in a wooden frame showing a mother punishing her naughty tot.

Simple slipping slide showing two man in some sort of a quarrel, fitted in a tin frame that measures about 7 1/4" x 2 5/8.	SIMPLE SLIPPING SLIDE The easiest way to impart 'movement' to the subject was the use of two pictures, both painted on the same glass, showing two phases of the story. During the projection the pictures had to be changed rapidly, the second after the first one, by pushing or pulling the glass with one quick move, in a lateral direction. Usually the glass was mounted in a wood or metal frame to obtain a smooth movement.
Hand painted magic lantern slide in a mahogany frame, measuring 18 cm x 10 cm.	SINGLE SLIPPING SLIDE Two glasses are mounted in a wood frame. The action is produced by moving one glass, the 'slipping glass', in front of the second glass, which is fixed. The slipping glass is free to move across in a lateral direction and can be pulled partly out of the frame, and pushed in to its former position. The subject may be represented on the fixed glass in two distinct positions. The illusion of movement is effected by alternately masking one and then another part of the picture.
THE DEVIL'S JOKE, an antique magic lantern glass slide from c. 1880. The hand painted glass slide represents a man who is blown up with a bellows by a devil. The lever is brass made. All measure 9.9" x 3.9" (25cm x 10cm). Probable English made.
DOUBLE SLIPPING SLIDE This slide is an extension of the single slipping slide, having two slipping glasses on either side of a fixed glass.

	This rare Double Panorama magic lantern slide shows a night time landscape with a passing train and a small boat crossing a river. The slide has a glass panorama on either side, one containing the boat, the other provided with the train. By slipping the two glasses across the fixed one it was possible to make the boat bob up and down on the water and let the train cross the bridge. The slide is late nineteenth century and probably made by the great French slide maker Desh. Dim. 31cm x 13cm or about 12 1/4" x 5 1/8".

BURG-YESTRA (ENGLAND). Special single slipping slide. The frame is made of mahogany. The glass slide is hand painted and represents 13 persons and a dog who are passing an English castle (Burg-Yestra) that is depicted on the fixed glass. The label is inscribed in French. All measure 14.2" by 4.3" (36 x 11cm). Probably French made (c. 1880).
	SINGLE LEVER SLIDE These slides give movement to the subject by the use of two glasses, one of which is a fixture in the frame and the other is free to turn in a circular direction by means of a lever. The fixed disc is mounted in a solid wood frame. The movable disc is enclosed in a metal collar with a lever attached to it so that it can be partly turned in front of the other glass. The lever is restricted in its movement by being confined in a channel cut in the surface of the frame. The movable glass is held in position by two pins.


Sergeant before the new recruits. Single lever slide. When the lever is moved, the sergeant swings his stick. The slide measures 7 "x 4.5" (18 x 11.4 cm).

DOUBLE LEVER SLIDE As you may have guessed, there are also double lever slides, having two movable glasses at each side of a fixed glass.
England, about 1890. By pressing the lever one of the glasses is shifted, revealing the horns under the hat (meaning: the wife's being unfaithful to her husband by having an affair with the man behind the gate!).	PIVOTED-LEVER SLIDE Two glasses are used to give movement to the subject; one is a fixture in the frame and the other is free to move up and down in a vertical direction by a pivoted lever.
Extremely rare English mid nineteenth century mechanical Magic Lantern slide. This slide projects silhouette/shadow of a cock fight. The front cover is removed so that you can see the mechanism. Each cockerel is linked to a brass rod and is moved by its own lever. They are also joined by the beaks. The movements are impressive and varied. The cockerels are made of thin painted tin.	SILHOUETTE SLIDES A very special kind of mechanical slide is the silhouette slide or fantoccini slide, which has the figures cut out of opaque materials, such as paper, copper and tin, mostly combined with a painted background on glass. MORE SYSTEMS Of course there are more systems to make the pictures move and also slides that combine two or more features mentioned above, thus producing a most vividly lifelike effect. Example: the well-known slide of the mouse eating man. You'll find some revolving systems in part two.