Part 2 of 4
Superstar lecturers like John L. Stoddard and Burton Holmes became millionaires by transporting audiences to the far reaches of the globe. This section explores how travelogues—from the volcanoes of Hawaii to the Great Wall of China—accounted for half of all professional lantern shows, blending spectacular photography with showmanship. You will meet pioneering women like Annie Peck, who climbed mountains to fund her lectures, and Katherine Gordon Breed, the master colorist who used a single-hair brush to bring glass slides to life. From the high-society halls of New York to the satirical “Terror of the West” small-town shows, discover how the magic lantern became a global cultural phenomenon.
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