[50 Magic Lantern Slides, European Subject Matter].

8 x 8 cm. mostly b/w (some hand coloured). glass slides (condition varies, all of which have personalized numbers). This collection is comprised of European subject matter. Of the fifty slides, fourteen bear labels of the New York McAllister firm and are made up of scenic views. Seventeen more are also labeled "T.H. McAllister Manufacturing Optician, N.Y.," in addition to the series label "London Lecture. The remainder are attributed to McAllister’s firm due to the small triangular trademark. Of these, one is labeled "Tower of London Lecture," five as "Trip to Paris," three as "Paris," five as "New Geography & History Series," with six additional miscellaneous unlabeled slides. Most slides have subject labels at their edge, though many have been chipped & worn.From the seventeenth to the early twentieth century Magic Lanterns served as an extremely popular portable image projector device throughout Europe, Asia and the New World. The medium was used as an aid for academics, tourism, settlement strategies or theatrical entertainment (Robinson, David. The Lantern Image, pp. 9-11). Magic Lantern slide lectures became common in Canada after 1890 when they were first used as tools in the federal immigration strategy (Scheinberg, Ellen; Rombout, Melissa K. "Projecting Images of the Nation…" The Archivist No. 111). …