Magic Lantern, projector, glass slides, c1930, Hamilton & Baker
Summary
Magic lantern projector possibly from the Regent Theatre or Melbourne Town Hall.
"...The Magic Lantern occupied a position similar to that of today’s PowerPoint presentation: a state of the art technology employed for both entertainment and educational purposes that was inexpensive and simple to use, making it accessible to almost everyone. Although magic lanterns had been around in one form or another since the seventeenth century, it was only with the introduction of gas and, later, electric lighting that they became really practical in the lecture hall. A huge range of projectors was available, including toy ones for children, and, from the late 1890s, the English firm of W.C. Hughes had a sales catalogue of more than 60,000 coloured or black-and-white glass slides on every conceivable subject. Or, for just a few pence, a local studio would make them to order from photographs taken with your trusty Kodak Pocket Brownie.
Although not without risk (gas cylinders were prone to exploding and the heat of the projector could break the fragile glass slides) the lantern-slide lecture revolutionised education, particularly in fields such as the visual arts and horticulture. For the first time, students could sit together in a room discussing Velázquez’s Rokeby Venus or a Kyoto tea garden with illustrations displayed for all of them to see..."
Peter Timms, “Melbourne’s parks and gardens: Through the magic lantern” exhibition catalogue, City Gallery, 2012
