Lantern SlidesLantern slides, or Magic Lantern Slides, predated photography and early slides were hand drawn for projection. Projected slide shows captivated audiences and could be set to music. However, they were also used for educational purposes often by traveling lecturers (Ritzenthaler, et. al., 3-4, 37-38).
Process. According to the Historical New Orleans Collection, "Lantern slides were made first with albumen (ca. 1850), then collodion (ca. 1850–1860), and finally gelatin (ca. 1870) on glass plates." Lantern slides were created either by 1) printing negatives exposed in a camera onto another negative (thus producing a positive for projection) or 2) by exposing a sensitized glass negative directly in the camera and developing it in such a way as to produce a positive (Ritzenthaler, et. al., 3-4, 37-38).
Identification. Lantern slides are characterized by glass plates and could be positive or negative images. Their standard size is 4 x 3.25 inches (Historical New Orleans Collection).