Magic Lanterns - Primus Projection Post Cards

Primus Projection Post Cards
made from the Junior Lecturers Series


Around 1900 the prominent English manufacturer of magic lanterns and slides, W. Butcher & Sons, released twenty sets of 'Primus Projecting Post Cards'. The cards could be projected on to a screen by means of an episcope and were manufactured from the same images as used on the slides of their successful 'Junior Lecturers Series'.
The cards have the dimensions of a normal postcard and are stored in a book shaped cardboard box. Size of the cards is 3 1/2" x 5 1/2" (8 x 14 cm). This particular box has the stamp of CAPI inside. CAPI was the trade mark of the Dutch photo technical office C.A.P. Ivens & Co., established and settled in Nijmegen with branches in Amsterdam, Groningen and The Hague. Some sets have a reading included; other sets have some text in the picture. The lettering is in reverse, as the image was reversed on projection.
Inside the box a List of Subjects

1. Sweep and Whitewasher

2. Foolish Bird

3. Elephant's Revenge

4. Tiger and Tub

5. Ten Little Nigger Boys

6. Robinson Crusoe

7. Aladdin

8. Peter Pan   Chap. 1

9. Peter Pan   Chap. 2

10. Peter Pan   Chap. 3

11. British Navy   Chap. 2

12. British Navy   Chap. 2

13. British Navy   Chap. 1

14. British Navy   Chap. 2

15. Lifeboat men

16. Firemen

17. British Express Trains

18. Doré Bible    Chap. 1

19. Doré Bible    Chap. 2

20. Doré Bible    Chap. 3

Set number 17 shows the same pictures as the Junior Lecturers Series number 799.
Slide number 4 represents the British 'Cornish Riviera Express'.


First card of the well known story 'The Tiger and the Tub', Junior Lecturers Series number 514. The Dutch former owner of these cards hit upon the idea to stick a hand written translated text label over the original English text. In reflected face of course. The Dutch text reads: 'Mijnheer Lang en mr Kort maakten een wandeling en zitten hier om wat te eten.' At the time certainly an inventive idea. Unfortunately now we must consider these cards as irretrievable damaged. Episcope:

The Primus Projecting Post Cards had to be projected on to a screen by means of an episcope. An episcope is an optical device for projecting opaque images, like photo's, post cards, pages of books, and also small three-dimensional objects such as coins and leaves. The object is usually placed at the rear of the lantern. An intense light is directed at it from the side, mostly coming from two sources and often reflected by mirrors. Thereupon the light beams are thrown through the large lens on to a white wall or screen. Single card holder, to be placed at the rear of the episcope. The card is from the set 'The British Army'. The Radioptican episcope above was made by the American manufacturer H.C.White & Co. Size Aprox. 14" x 15" x 13.25" (35,5 x 38 x 13,5 cm). The electric version uses two bulbs for illumination. Earlier versions are lighted by two gas burners. More luxury versions of this design have a twin picture holder at the back, so that one postcard can be shown while the next one is prepared by inserting in the free half of the holder.
	Another way to view the cards. Wooden Mirrorscope reflecting viewer, c. 1900/1920. Cards are placed in the groove in front of the concave mirror, thus gaining a more or less pseudo stereoscopic effect. The mirror measures 6.25” (16 cm) in diameter. The set of views is titled 'Sweep & Whitewasher', nr 500 of the Junior Lecturers Series.

Sets 8, 9, and 10 of the Primus Projecting Post Cards tell us the story of Peter Pan. The pictures match the pictures of the slide series 773, 774, and 775. "All you need is faith and trust... and a little bit of pixie dust!" -- Peter Pan