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The miracle of the magic lantern (part 2) |
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After 1800 the performances became more extensive and impressive. The performer had stopped visiting people, they came to him now to attend the performances. Though the lighting had been improved considerably by that time, it remained quite weak, so that the lanternist had to place his lantern at a short distance from the screen. For that reason the lantern was placed behind the screen in most cases. To make the cloth more transparent it was sprayed with water with a brass glass-spray continuously before and during the performance. This kind of spray was generally used by the maid for cleaning the windows! Placing the lantern behind the screen had another advantage: now the public could not see what was happening behind it, and that made it much more exciting and realistic. | ||
| Famous became the performances of a
Belgian artist named Robertson, born Etienne-Gaspard Robert in 1763. His
so-called 'phantasmagorias' (ghosts
and phantoms playing the prominent part), were accompanied by a number of
spectacular effects. Clouds of smoke, thunder and lightning, rattling
chains and other noises shocked the unsuspecting spectators. Later two or
more lanterns were coupled and when using them, different images could be
faded into each other or merged. Sometimes even as many as eight lanterns
at a time were used in the performances. Robertson claimed that the object of his shows was to rid the spectators of their superstition and fear of ghosts. Relying on the reactions of his audience he did not succeed. On the contrary. |
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 Once a company in London, called Carpenter & Westley, started with a real industry of lanterns and lantern slides in 1820, the magic lantern was brought to the man in the street. The firm maintained exceptional quality of production, under successive managements, during a large part of the 19th century. Carpenter was the first to use manufacturing processes for the multiple production of slides. The company used a method of transferring engraved black outlines on to glass, thus making subsequent hand-colouring easier. Nowadays Carpenter & Westley slides are much sought after, for the dissolving view sets and other hand-painted slides are of the very finest quality. |
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A real rage in presenting lantern-lectures started. New, much stronger
sources of light than formerly available, made it possible to project big,
bright images for a large audience and it was also possible to project from a distance behind.
The application of limelight meant an enormous
improvement of the performance. The intense white light was produced by
heating a piece of lime, generally with a flame of combined oxygen and
hydrogen gases. Unfortunately many disasters happened due to its use. |
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Besides its function in the
entertainment-world the magic lantern was used 'for teaching purposes' in
the first place. In doing so, things sometimes got seriously out of hand. In the
'Nederlandsch Magazine', No, 1 of 1863 we can read that the explorer and
missionary David Livingstone showed the local people slides of 'the wonders of creation',
but on occasion also drove the terrified African Balonda tribe
into the bush, when he presented a lantern-picture showing a life-sized
Abraham who was preparing to kill his son Isaac with a knife which he held in
his hand. (See also: The Bible) |
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| At the end of the nineteenth century magic lanterns with accompanying lanternslides could be found in all shops selling scientific instruments. One of the most important outlets in the Netherlands was Merkelbach & Co. in Amsterdam, later on a well-known toy shop in the Kalverstraat. The family still owns a letter from the Royal House, showing that even the little Wilhelmina (later to become Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands) often played with her magic lantern and with great pleasure. Mr. Merkelbach was urgently requested in this letter to visit the palace and to bring a great number of lantern-pictures with him, in order to exchange these for those which were not of interest anymore. Of course there were no talks about a reasonable financial compensation at all. It had to be for the honour alone. (Read all about it in: Some humorous lantern slides for the little Princess.) |
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©1999-2005 'de Luikerwaal' All rights reserved. Last update: 05-06-2005. |
  
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