Search Results - Research Collections - Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies

Scope & Content: Fonds consists of 49 lantern slides; subject matter pertaining to psalms, Christmas carols, financial report on the Banff Red Cross. There are 3 slides included that contain either typed or handwritten text on top of coloured photographs: PS-39 consists of a Christmas carol printed over an areal ph…

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History / Biographical: Lantern slides were used for education, entertainment, and administrative purposes. Lantern slide shows were held in the home, classrooms, public halls, and theatres. Lantern slides were manufactured by companies to be sold in sets in order to tell a certain story, or made by individuals for their own purposes. These homemade slides could be made with a variety of techniques, but the easiest was to write (or draw) directly onto a piece of glass and seal it with a transparent lacquer or another piece of glass and then wrap the edges in binding tape. Another simple homemade method was to print text onto cellophane or translucent wax paper with a typewriter and then place the slip between 2 panes of glass and bind it. This was a useful method for churches in possession of magic lanterns to display lyrics to hymns and carols, as well as specific Bible verses, on the wall during a sermon or other community events. Homemade slides were also useful for administrative purposes. By writing directly onto a piece of glass with India ink or special slide paint, organizations could display figures, expenditures, or any other pertinent details during meetings.

Scope & Content: Fonds consists of 49 lantern slides; subject matter pertaining to psalms, Christmas carols, financial report on the Banff Red Cross. There are 3 slides included that contain either typed or handwritten text on top of coloured photographs: PS-39 consists of a Christmas carol printed over an areal photo of the Chateau Lake Louise. PS-48 is a hand-written pslam over a photo of an unknown island. PS-49 is a typed Christmas carol over a photo of an unknown mountain peak.

Notes: A square cardboard box was also included with the slides, it held single-pane hand-written slides pertaining to Red Cross and church inventories, expenditures, and other administrative details. The box has what is probably a manufacturer's label on the lid, almost the entirety of which is obscured by a thick piece of brown tape that was used to hold the box closed (the tape was broken prior to accession). Written on the tape is "Cover Glasses 01" in pencil. The box was in poor condition with many joints broken, it was discarded. Donation also included a magic lantern, held in artifacts (105.05.1036 a,b).

Access Restrictions: No restrictions on access; Copyright, privacy, commercial use and other restrictions may apply

Conservation: PS-36 glass panes replaced. Slide text is printed on transparent plastic, this slip was removed from the original broken glass housing, digitally scanned, and placed in 2 new pieces of glass. No binding tape available, the new slide is held together with flat string and placed in non-acidic paper.; PS-26 to PS-35 are single panes of glass with hand-written text that require delicate cleaning.; All glass panes, not including the text sides of PS-26 to PS-35 were cleaned.