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Tiger and the Tub |
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"Mr Long & Mr Short
go for a walk.....", a well known opening sentence from a
incredible
story, told on several sets of magic lantern slides. Perhaps the tale is a
send-up of Darwin's theories on genetic evolution as set out in 'Origin
of Species', first published in 1859, not long before this remarkable story
originally appeared in lantern slide form. Tiger and Tub is very popular
in shows, its origins long since forgotten, but the punch-line always produces a laugh! |
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Probably the
most famous version of the Tiger and the Tub story is the one produced by
William Butcher & Sons of London in their
Junior Lecturers' Lantern Slides. At the beginning of the 20th century Butcher produced under the trade name 'Primus' a wide ranges of slides, offering
a varied choice of humorous, historical, educational and religious subjects
suitable for both young and old.The Tiger and the Tub story forms part of the series A, that have the reading printed on the slides. Initially this set was titled 'Tale of a Tub'. Junior Lecturers sets were always issued in boxes of eight slides each, with longer stories divided in a series of chapters, each also of this number. Sometimes this lead to the necessity of cutting down the story; in this case however it was necessary to build up the set to eight slides, because the original story was told in seven pictures. This lead to the decidedly limb final slide 'After 12 month...' showing 'every tiger with a tub on its tail'. No right-thinking human being will understand this nonsensical end, or it must be a wink to Darwin. |
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| A lot of Junior Lecturers
stories were also issued as a boxed set of twelve oblong slides, comprising six
tales conform the list on the bottom of the box, two slides each, four pictures
pro slide. They measure 7 inches by 2 inches
(18 x 5 cm). |
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| Another set of square slides, approx. 3¼" square, 3" diameter image and......... |
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| ...... the same pictures on a
set of four oblong lithographic slides featuring Tiger and Tub in a colourful
cardboard box. Three images on each glass strip. Size 18 x 5 cm. |
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Twelve rather primitive drawings of the crazy story with some new elements. The human leading actors are obvious sailors this time and they are dragged along by the escaping animal. The drawings are made on thin cellophane, jammed between two glass plates. Are they traced in coloured ink from existing drawings in a book by an amateur lanternist? Are they 'pirate copies', made from original slides? Are they inexpensively produced originals? I don't know. Anyway they form a remarkable set between the others. | ||
| More sets of Tiger and Tub slides....... | |||
| More about this Tiger..... Primus Catalogue nr 514 The Tiger and the Tub A real performance with the magic lantern |
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©1999-2006 'de Luikerwaal' All rights reserved. Last update: 01-03-2006. |
 
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