Name/Title
William McKinley taking the Oath of OfficeEntry/Object ID
2015.4.189Description
Glass Lantern slide of William McKinley taking the oath of office. The slide is a photograph and is sepia-toned. It is surrounded by a white mat with the title of the slide as well as the name of the publishing company. This is surrounded by a black metal frame. The back shows the reverse of the slide.
The lantern slide has its origins in 17th century optical viewing devices which came to be known as “magic lanterns.” The earliest slides for magic lanterns consisted of hand-painted images on glass, projected by itinerant showmen telling stories about the images that were projected.
They can be recognized by the simple paint areas applied with a brush and the obvious brush strokes.
By the difficult term Decalcomania we describe the technique of transferring pictures from specially prepared paper to surfaces such as glass, china, pottery etc. In the world of magic lanterns we specifically mean the application of this process while making a lantern slide by transferring an image to a square or oblong piece of glass. The technique was used by professional slide makers, but enjoyed a vogue among amateurs too. Images were printed in colors by the chromo-litho principle, and then transfered to glass. Porous paper was coated with a solution of starch, albumen and glycerin. The colored pictures were printed, details first, background last, and then finished by a coat of glue.
http://www.magiclanternsociety.org/about-magic-lanterns/lantern-slides/Collection
ScarmuzziAcquisition
Accession
2015.4.0Source or Donor
Patricia A. ScarmuzziAcquisition Method
Gift