Bidspirit auction | A Collection of Antique Magic

A Collection of Antique Magic Lantern Slides and Shadowgraphy Plates in a Fitted Wooden Storage Chest - A collection of antique magic lantern slides and optical media housed in a stained wooden storage chest. The wooden box features metal hardware, including a front latch and rear hinges, and an interior configured with vertical grooved dividers for slide organisation. The collection includes a variety of glass formats, notably several panoramic or long-format glass strips designed for horizontal movement through a projector. Subject matter includes an Orientalist desert scene featuring figures on camels and horses, and a series of brightly coloured, whimsical character figures. Also included is a transparent glass plate featuring several silhouette cut-out figures, likely intended for shadow-graphy or a Galanty Show performance. Handwritten paper labels affixed to the interior of the box read P | Soft Gradation Panchro... and SR | Special Rapid. These terms refer to early 20th-century photographic glass plate emulsions, suggesting the chest may have originally been intended for photographic negatives or was repurposed by a photographic enthusiast. The slides are constructed of glass with decorative paper or tape borders typical of the late Victorian and Edwardian periods.