On the Tarbell Trail

[L Verge]

Magic lantern shows were popular parlor pastimes during the 19th century. I inherited one through my family, and Surratt House has several in their holdings. The lantern itself actually looks a bit like an early slide projector, but a tiny oil lantern sits inside. The slides that I inherited, and a collection that we have on the Lincoln assassination, are actually scenes painted onto glass. There can be one picture per slide or 4-5 like a running cartoon. The ones I have seen are truly works of art and are fetching some good prices in the collectors' field.

Along with the magic lantern, our ancestors also enjoyed the stereoptican, which was a hand-held device that allowed one to view 3-D images. I believe that David Richardson follows this forum, and he's a master at describing - and colorizing - these paper views.