[an eighteenth century magic lantern] · Centre for Early Modern Visual Culture

Title: [an eighteenth century magic lantern]
Period: 1800-1850;
Description: Here we see a magic lantern, which was a form of image projection developed in the seventeenth century, becoming popular in the eighteenth century, and used until the twentieth century. Glass slides with images on them would be placed in front of a light source and one or more lenses and then projected. The magic lantern was the predecessor of the twentieth century slide projector. In this image we see several slides on the table in front of the lantern and a candle next to it. There are human figures on the slides and likely represent the various historical figures with whom Gulliver spoke throughout the eighth chapter. In the nineteenth century the magic lantern became a popular tool for education, and it is likely that they could be used in classrooms to teach children about history and historical figures. This image appears at the end of the eighth chapter. The same image appears in the 1839 Krabbe edition.
Image Creator: Sears (Illustrator)
Type: StillImage; Vignettes
Identifier: mta:21751
Language: ger
Source Name: Gulliver's Reisen in unbekannte Länder
Parent Collection: Gulliver's Reisen in unbekannte Länder Vol. II. Vignettes by Grandville (1843); Gulliver's Reisen in unbekannte Länder Vol. II. Vignettes by Grandville (1843)
Image: mta_21751_OBJ.png
Collection: Gulliver's Travels
Subject: Lantern slides; inventions in literature; ghosts; fictional works; Fictitious characters; imaginary places; imaginary creatures

Media: mta_21751_OBJ.png