How the phantasmagoria magic lantern was used for entertainment, science and education
The phantasmagoria magic lantern is an evolved model of the magic lantern, an image projection device that preceded cinema projectors. Placing a magic lantern on wheels allows for phantasmagorias - some projection effects that became popular at the end of the 18th century.
These visual shows made spectres, monsters, ghosts and other kinds of 'paranormal' images appear.
Étienne-Gaspard Robert (known as Robertson) was responsible for this improvement to the magic lantern. He placed the projector behind a translucent screen to hide it from viewers, as well as placing the lantern on wheels to generate an illusion of movement in the projected image.
He also created a mechanism to coordinate the wheels of the lantern with the lens, in order to focus or blur the projected image as desired. The lantern projected images painted on a glass plate, and also opaque and three-dimensional images using the camera obscura technique.
What were phantasmagoria shows?
The name phantasmagoria was well-deserved.
Apart from the images of ghostly characters, the experience was immersive. The audience sat in a darkened room. The walls were often painted black, with sinister sound and light effects, as well as projections of smoke or smells of incense used to complete the experience.
At the beginning of the 19th century, phantasmagoria shows became popular throughout Europe and the United States.
At the same time, however, the secrets of Robertson's phantasmagoria were revealed and exploited by many others to make their own entertainment shows. Their success began to decline when viewers started knowing the tricks, and the surprise effect disappeared.
How were phantasmagoria shows used for science and education?
Beyond the use for variety shows, some of the most prestigious scientific and optical devices companies continued manufacturing phantasmagoria magic lanterns.
Scientific and educational institutions around the world started using this type of magic lantern, as it allowed them to experiment with projection techniques and optical principles.
In 1849, the old Institut de Segon Ensenyament de Girona (Institute of Secondary Education of Girona) - which had been established in 1845 - purchased scientific instruments for the physics and chemistry cabinets, including the phantasmagoria magic lantern.
This device, manufactured by the French company Lérebours and Sécretan, performed all the projection techniques from phantasmagoria shows: back projection, projection of opaque bodies, movement of the projector, focus of the image, regulation of light intensity.
The use of the magic lantern as an educational tool became popular from the middle of the 19th century in European and North American educational institutions, and was used by the Institut of Girona until approximately 1885.
The old Institute of Secondary Education of Girona, which was located in the old Capuchin convent, moved to a new location in 1967.
Its original building, owned by the Girona City Council, is today the headquarters of the Girona History Museum and the Municipal Archive and CRDI – Centre for Image Research and Dissemination. The phantasmagoria magic lantern became part of the collection of the History Museum and, subsequently, it was incorporated into the collection of the Girona Cinema Museum.
Digitising the magic lantern
180 years after the manufacture of this device, the same walls that hosted the Institute of Secondary Education now host the CRDI - Centre for Image Research and Dissemination.
CRDI is one of the partners of the EUreka3D project, which contributes to the digital transformation of cultural heritage institutions. One of its contributions to the project is to digitise in 3D and in high quality 50 pieces of pre-cinema and early cinema from the Cinema Museum collection: among them the magic lantern of phantasmagoria.
The magic lantern was an important part of the history of image projection before cinema and, at the same time, a relevant device in the study of optics and physics by researchers and students.
Today, this device has been digitised in 3D as part of the EUreka3D project for preservation, research and educational uses. The conjunction between art and science that distinguished the lifetime of this object is still alive today when, thanks to this project, technology and cultural heritage go hand-in-hand.
This blog is part of the EUreka3D project, which aims to build the capacity of small cultural heritage institutions in digital transformation, particularly on issues related to 3D digitisation.