Weblog 2007 News Archive
The Travelling Light Magic Lantern Company Presentation
November 25th, 2007
The Travelling Light Magic Lantern Company will give the following presentation on Wednesday, 5th. December, 2007 at the North Somerset Museum, Burlington Street, Weston-super-Mare, commencing 7.30pm.
'Fred Weatherly - The People's Laureate', the Somerset lyricist responsible for over 1,500 published songs, including 'Danny Boy, Roses of Picardy' and at least 60 of his songs which were made into lantern song sets. The evening will include his life story and the presentation of ten songs.
This is a non-ticket event and seating is limited.
Magic Lantern Show in Padova
November 17th, 2007
On Saturday 21st December at 9 p.m. at the Sala Rossini del Caffè Pedrocchi in Padova. Presented by Laura Minici Zotti and titled La Lanterna Magica Nel Tempo di Natale. The magic lantern and slides are a donation of Margherita Scala Maderni from Lugano, Switzerland, to the Minici Zotti Collection, and she will be a special guest at the performance.
Washington Post Reviews Herman Bollaert's Show
November 1st, 2007
Philip Kennicott of the Washington Post attended Herman's show last night at the French Embassy in Washington.
Read his interesting review on the Washington Post website for more details.
Major Magic Lantern Event in Holland
October 29th, 2007
The Dutch Photographic Collectors Society is about to celebrates its 30th anniversary
with an exhibition about Magic Lanterns and Magic Lantern Slides in the Westfries Museum in Hoorn. Most exhibits will be from Dutch members of the Magic Lantern Society who will all be giving shows at the museum on Sundays. The exhibition will be formally opened on 30th November and will be open to the public from 1st December until 17th February 2008.
Check out the Westfriesmuseum site for more details in Dutch.
A Society member reports that in Hoorn, in addition to the Westfries (pronounced Westfrees) museum there is a very good museum of the 20th Century with a small optical/lantern display and lots of good stuff on about 5 floors (lift available). Also, opposite the Westfries museum is a good poster museum. There are regular trains from Amsterdam but the lunchtime catering facilities on Sundays are rather limited.
Magic Lantern Show at this years Bloomsbury Festival
October 15th, 2007
Mark Ferelli will be performing a Magic Lantern Show at this years Bloomsbury Festival. Called 'Michael Reeves Directs', the show comprises of about 30 slides ( made by Mark), using a lantern with original three-wick burner. The performance lasts approx 25mins and might be called a modern re-interpretation of a 'phantasmagoria' show. The performance takes place on Friday 19th October at 8:00pm in St. Georges Gardens. The nearest tube station is at Russell Square. Admission is free.
Check out the Bloomsbury Festival site for more details.
The Jack Naylor Collection at Auction
October 12th, 2007
Guernsey's Auction House of New York will be auctioning the Jack Naylor Collection between October 18th and 21st. A world class collection of all aspects of photographic history the collection includes extensive magic lantern related items including a superb Perkin, Son & Rayment Grand Triple triunial lantern, London, c. 1880 .
The Naylor Collection was assembled over a life time of collecting and is extensive and comprehensive. Jack Naylor served as Chair of the Acquisitions Committee of the International Museum of Photography at George Eastman House in Rochester, New York and as Editor of the Journal of Photographic History.
Details of the auction are available on the Guernsey website at guernseys.com and items will feature in ebay Live Auctions.
Biunial Lantern sells on ebay
October 10th, 2007
A Biunial magic lantern with mahogany-body and lacquered brass fittings featuring brass bound lenses with rack and pinion focusing and a shaped metal chimney was sold recently on ebay. Suitable as a restoration project it was lacking one rack and pinion lens, a condenser lens, door panel, part of the molding and had no burners. The lantern sold for £1021.
Thanks to styleno3 for permission to use their image.
Laterna Magica Galantee Show at the French Embassy in Washington DC
October 5th, 2007
The Belgian group Laterna Magica Galantee Show led by Mr. Herman Bollaert will perform on October 30, October 31; and November 1, 2007 at 10 am (special children's performance) and 7 pm at La Maison Francaise, the cultural center of the French Embassy in DC.
Full details are available on the Cultural Center website at www.la-maison-francaise.org
Magic Lantern Spectacular - Royal Opera House
September 17th, 2007
Professor Mervyn Heard and the Illuminago Company from Germany wil be presenting a
very special magic lantern show at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden -
the entire Ring Cycle in 70 minute with Victorian magic lantern slides and effects.
The performances will be in the Linbury Studio Theatre 5, 6, 8, 9 October at 7.30pm
The show was originally performed at the Edinburgh Festival about 10 years ago.
Follow the link if you want more information:
Royal Opera House Ticket Sales
Panoramas of the Moving Image: Mechanical Slides and Dissolving Views from Nineteenth-Century Magic Lantern Shows
September 17th, 2007
Exhibition: September 12, 2007–February 25, 2008 Museum of Modern Art, New York.
Experimental media artist Ernie Gehr's Panoramas of the Moving Image (2005) is a synchronized five-channel video installation that uses eighty-seven original slides and views selected from Gehr's personal collection and that of renowned pre-cinema collector David Francis. Projected side by side, the slides create a mesmerizing wide-screen spectacle. A selection of vintage paper Zoetrope strips and Phenakistiscope discs—complementary artifacts of nineteenth-century moving-image technology—are also on display.
Read more at: MOMA
Rubicon Estate Magic Lantern Collection
September 17th, 2007
The Rubicon Estate Museum of Rutherford have announced their acquisition of the Henning Carlsen Magic Lantern Collection.
The collection dispaly will be opened to the public at 2.00pm on Wednesday October 10th at the Centennial Museum building.
'For the Capitol': Illuminated Reflections on the Potomac
September 13th, 2007
Artist Jenny Holzer will use high-powered projectors to cast text from the River Terrace
of the Kennedy Center, Washington across the Potomac River and onto the island.
Quotations from the two memorials' namesakes -- Presidents John F. Kennedy and
Theodore Roosevelt -- will scroll like movie credits from 7 to midnight each night.
For the Capitol is on view 7-midnight September 13th to 16th.
Traveling Light Magic Lantern Co.
September 9th, 2007
On Sunday, 16th. September, The Traveling Light Magic Lantern Co. will be giving two 30 minute performances at 11.30am and 12.30pm at the Curzon Cinema, Clevedon, Somerset, for the Curzon Extravaganza.
The day commences at 10am and finishes at 4pm, during the day many activities will be taking place, including early film presentations. This should be a great day out for all lantern and early film enthusiasts, taking place in, reputedly, the oldest continuous running cinema in Europe.
Read The Western Daily Press' recent article on The Traveling Light Magic Lantern Co. at:
http://www.westerndailypress.co.uk
Traveling Light are also preparing a new audience presentation about the life & songs of Fred Weatherly, the prolific Somerset lyricist responsible for songs such as 'Roses of Picardy', 'Danny Boy' and many more. More than sixty of his songs were made into slide sets.
Rare Magic Lantern Slide Viewer on ebay
July 23, 2007
A rare Tyler's polished mahogany Lanternscope (made in England c1892.) was recently offered on ebay. This type of viewer was introduced with a single viewing lens in 1891 and the binocular model appeared in 1892. This instrument made it possible to view magic lantern slides without the need for a Magic Lantern. The viewer was in excellent order and accepted 3.25ins sq lantern slides. It went unsold.
Thanks to opticook for permission to use their image.
End of Magic Lantern Auctions at Christie's
July 4, 2007
Michael Pritchard writes: "With hindsight it looks like the Ganz Collection auction in January 2007 was the high note on which magic lantern and photographic equipment auctions at Christie's ended.
As some MLS members may have read elsewhere Christie's conducted a strategic review earlier this year of the Collectibles departments at South Kensington and the decision was taken to end Collectibles sales, including cameras and optical toys, at the end of the current sale season in July. The decision reflects South Kensington's future focus on fine art, decorative and furnishing lots rather than pure collectibles. A new department called Science, Exploration and Discovery may include the occasional early optical toy. The decision was not particularly a financial one - all the collectors departments were profitable but was more to do with the product mix and growth potential of the departments. "
Over the years, Christie's have held some memorable auctions of magic lanterns and associated items. Of particular note are the Lear's Collection of Lanterns and Slides in 1996, John Finney's very large collection of lanterns in 2003 and recently the Thomas Ganz collection themed around the representation of the image and so containing cameras, optical toys, viewers, lanterns and a wonderful group of prints and engravings depicting the lantern.
The day of Christie's sales was also a great excuse for impromptu meetings of Society members. Landmark sales such as these will be sadly missed by Magic Lantern Collectors.
Unusual Brenograph Lantern on ebay
July 4, 2007
An unusual Brenograph, Cinema Magic Lantern was recently offered on ebay. It was described as "heavy duty Brenograph or magic lantern projector. Made by the Chicago Cinema Equipment Co. Several copper clad carbon arc electrodes within the lamp house. There are additional parts not seen in the photographs. The words "Deluxe" are found on the lamp house doors. Built around 1931." Surprising it went unsold although postage/shipping would have been expensive.
Thanks to urbanremainschicago for permission to use their image.
A Nice Biunial Lantern on ebay
July 4, 2007
A nice biunial magic lantern was offered recently on ebay. Described as "possibly by Riley Bros, late 19th-century with lacquered-brass fittings, a pair of rack and pinion focusing lenses, black japanned chimney, coloured blue glass to doors, together with gas burner and other gas fittings and accessories, and rubber hose" it sold for UK£2150.
Thanks to styleno3 for permission to use their photograph.
Magic Lantern Shows at the Musee d'Orsay - Paris
June 06, 2007
Magic Lantern Shows performed by Laura Minici Zotti, from 23rd to 27th June 2007.
23 @ 20.00h : La vita di Giacomo Casanova
24 @ 16.00h : Alla ricerca del tempo perduto
26 @ 20.00h : La vita di Giacomo Casanova
27 @ 20.00h : Alla ricerca del tempo perduto
Choreutoscope Sells on ebay
May 06, 2007
A nice example of a rare Choreutoscope "Dancing Skeleton" lantern slide sold on ebay recently. After heated bidding it finally made US$1601. A reasonable price for such an unusual magic lantern item.
This type of magic lantern slide was invented by L.S. Beale in 1866. The images are moved intermittently using Maltese Cross style mechanisms. The change of image is hidden by a shutter and gives the illusion of a dancing skeleton. This was invented 40 years before moving pictures.
Thanks to "abitodapast" for permission to use the above image.
Upcoming Bonhams Sale
April 13, 2007
Auctioneers Bonhams of Knowle, England will be holding Sale No. 14987 on Wednesday 9 May 2007, offering magic lanterns and slides, including the Banham archive of Bamford magic lantern life model song sets with original sheet music plus a rare Ives Stereo Kromscope. Full details at Bonhams website.
Japanese Lantern Slides
April 4, 2007
The Horniman Museum and Gardens (London SE23) are hosting an exhibition titled "Journey Through Japan".
Travel through the stunning landscape of Japan in the early 1900s, through the intricate and beautiful lantern slide photographs of that era.
This exhibition opened in March, and will be held in the Balcony Gallery until 24 February 2008. Admission is FREE.
Further details at:
Horniman Museum and search for "lantern slides"
Magic Lantern Society AGM
January 28, 2007
The Society held its Annual General Meeting in London on January 20th. Along with the usual AGM business of reports and briefings from the Society Committee members, a new Committee was elected and one change made to the Society Constitution. The formal proceedings were followed by a series of members lectures including:
"Early Cinema and Popular Entertainment" by Vanessa Toumlin
"London Days and London Ways" by Roger Brasier
"Grimaldi and his tricks" by Peter Lane and Lester Smith
In addition, several members had market stalls offering all sorts of choice magic lantern material for sale.
Another very successful meeting.
Pettibone Lantern on ebay
January 28, 2007
A rare Pettibone Magic Lantern was recently offered on ebay by the well known lantern slide seller pkgeneralstore. The lantern, also known as a Peacock Lantern, was an early model in its original shipping case. The lantern was complete with two slide holder fans and all the standard accessories. It sold for US$1600.
Thanks to pkgeneralstore for permission to use these images.
