History of the Society – Part 1

By Mike Smith, Hon. Secretary of the Society

Part 1
1976...

Part 2
1977...

Part 3
1983...

Part 4
1986...

Part 5
1988...

Part 6
1991...

Part 7
1996...

Part 8
1998...

Part 9
1999...

Part 10
2002...

Part 11
2007...

Part 12
2010...

1976

On 23rd October 1976 I was one of twenty collectors who met together at Corsham Court in Wiltshire to discuss the possible formation of a Society to satisfy the needs and capture the enthusiasm of a growing number of magic lanternists.
Country house

1977

two men at a meeting

Early members arrived by many forms of transport

We held a second meeting at the Stanhope Institute in London in January 1977, for the express purpose of producing a formal constitution and format of future gatherings. By the end of this meeting we had well and truly launched The Magic Lantern Society of Great Britain (we changed the name to The Magic Lantern Society in 1991).


We held further meetings in April, June and October that year, thereby establishing the pattern of quarterly gatherings, which exists to this day.
postman delivering mail