The magic lantern

The magic lantern was invented at some point in the middle of the seventeenth century, probably by a Dutch scientist called Christiaan Huygens. However, because he did not think that his new invention was of much scientific interest, he did not publicise his work, and the creation of the magic lantern was often ascribed to other people. In particular, the German astronomer, Athanasius Kircher, was long associated with the instrument, mostly because his 1641 book on light and shadow (Ars Magna Lucis et Ombrae) contained the first published description of the magic lantern.

The magic lantern is essentially the oldest form of slide projector. It consists of four basic parts. The first is a lightproof box which holds the light source. This was originally a candle or oil lamp, but later versions made use of limelight or even carbon arc electric lamps. At the front of the box, a condensing lens focuses the rays from the light source onto a slide. This slide carries the image to be projected and was the third part of the mechanism. The final part is a second lens, set in front of the slide, which ensures that a sharp version of the slide image appears on the screen. Screens were generally provided by sheets or white walls.

Click on to the next page to find out more about where lanterns were first used and by whom.