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Magic Lanterns, manufactured by Jean Schoenner part 1 |
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The German toy maker Jean Schoenner began production
in Nuremberg in 1875. Twenty years later his company had 250 employees
making mainly optical toys and magic lanterns, but also steam engines.
In those years the firm made probably hundreds of thousands of lanterns. At
first the trade mark was S.N. (Schoenner, Nuremberg), later on the
initials J.S. were used, placed in an octagonal roundel. No toys produced after 1906 are known. Probably by 1904 most parts of the firm's tooling machinery had been taken over by Johann Falk. All traces of the firm had disappeared by 1913. |
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In Greek mythology Atlas was one of the Titans who took part in their war against Zeus, for which as a punishment he was
condemned to hold aloft the heavens. In works of art he
is often represented as carrying the celestial globe. On two of the most attractive lanterns made by Jean Schoenner his task is to carry the slide holder and the lens tube. At his feet, on the base, there are three head figures, two of them looking aside and one back, in the direction of the lamp holder. The spherical lantern (1880) has a polished brass lamp house. The Atlas figure
is made of black lacquered tin. Both lanterns were produced in three
sizes. The Atlas figure measures about 4.5" x 2"
(11.5 x 5 cm). |
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Germany c. 1890 Both lanterns are made of red and black painted tin. Front and back of the lantern are nickled. The first one has a nice pressed tin decoration on its lens support. It was also available in a fully black and a dark blue design. Lantern measures approx 4.25" by 6" at base, and 10.75" tall to top of stack. The lens support of the second lantern is plain and undecorated. Both lanterns are able to show rectangular and circular slides.  |
 
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The Jubilee J.S. Bavaria. The lantern measures 14
inches high, 6.75 inches wide and 4.75 inches deep (35.5 x 17 x 12 cm).
The chimney goes deep inside the lantern, down to the burner with which
it forms a whole. It
also combines a convex condenser lens. The projection lens is missing. |
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The Jubilee Grand Bavaria, 1895.
This silo shaped magic lantern has a rack on the front to hold six glass
slides. There is a burner inside; a narrow metal chimney goes all the
way down to the burner (see also the photo's of the lantern above). The
lantern is 14" tall and the base is 6" across (35.5 x 15 cm). |
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This magic lantern is a Perfekt J.S. Its
dimensions are about 14.5" tall x 10.5" long x 4" deep. It has a reflector and lamp inside. The
lens is adjustable to focus by turning the little knob at the end of the
lens. |
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 Lovely little toy lantern. The box bears the beautiful coloured label with the J.S. trade mark. A reflector is attached to the inside of the hinged backdoor. The roof is decorated with four points of a golden star. The approx dimensions of the box are 7.5 ins wide by 6.6 ins deep by 4.5 ins high (19 x 17 x 11.5 cm). |
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Rare magic lantern by Jean Schoenner, c. 1890. 12 in. high. | |
More magic lanterns made by Schoenner.....
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©1999-2008 'de Luikerwaal' All rights reserved. Last update: 18-09-2008. |
 
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