The Magic Lantern! From Victorian Vision to Modern Media
From the Collection of UCLA Design | Media Arts Professor Erkki Huhtamo
The magic lantern played an important role in visual education and entertainment for centuries. Introduced soon after the mid-seventeenth century, it became a staple of the curiosity cabinets of savants and was brought to the “common people” by itinerant showmen. In the nineteenth century the magic lantern show developed into a specialized profession and big business, and countless magic lanterns and slides were produced both for professional and domestic use.
Featuring magic lanterns, lantern slides, and other related objects from the extensive private collection of UCLA Design | Media Arts Professor Erkki Huhtamo, this exhibit demonstrates how the magic lantern show, typical of the Victorian era, opened ways for modern society and culture as well.
In connection with the exhibit, the Department of Design | Media Arts will present a Halloween Magic Lantern Show in the EDA auditorium in the Broad Art Center on Thursday, October 29, at 6 p.m. It will be presented by the American Magic Lantern Theater of Connecticut, the only professional group giving authentic magic lantern shows in the United States. Admission is free, and no reservations are required; seating is on a first-come basis.
