20. Early Shows—Illustrated and Photographic Slides
Lloyd Touts Photographic Lantern Slides
The techniques for developing photographic lantern slides were perfected in the 1850s, and by the 1860s photographs were well on their way to becoming the dominant form of screen presentation. Lloyd’s broadside offered a tour of America and England, probably using the black and white photographic slides like the one shown. He also included Dissolving Views. Here a triple dissolve of the Statue of Liberty changes from evening to night. (Click image. Loads slowly.)
Lloyd’s broadside has one of the best lines in all of Magic-Lantern promotion: “Nor is the Entertainment lacking in an occasional presentation of the FUNNY SIDE OF THINGS. But there is nothing tawdry, puerile, or coarse; nothing cheap excepting the price for Admission.”
The “funny side of things” would have been animated, slip-slide cartoons—the classic ending for many lantern shows. Variety shows like this set the pattern for most modern recreations of lantern shows.
Archival Notes
