Last year, Special Collections acquired a fantastic collection of glass slides and magic lanterns, generously donated by Friends of the Library Betty and Homer Peabody. The collection contains over 2000 glass slides, and includes examples of standard, mechanical, photographic, and hand-painted slides in a wide range of topical categories ,such as medicine, education, religion, art, history, politics, travel, and popular culture. The collection also contains about 35 magic lanterns, most of which date from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, and includes a particularly exciting collection of toy lanterns. In addition to these working artifacts, the Peabodys donated their collection of magic lantern literature, which includes books and serials on the history and collecting of these fascinating instruments.
Though the collection of slides and lanterns has not yet been formally processed, a significant portion of the slides has been made accessible in a truly grand online exhibit (created by our talented intern Amanda Lanthorne), which delves into the details of magic lantern use, mechanics, themes, slide types, and more using images from our collection. Take your time and explore this wonderful resource!
