Faculty at Home: Paul Monod

Please join Paul Monod, Hepburn Professor of History, for a talk entitled “The Magic Lantern From Theatre to Film.”

The magic lantern was a projection device, invented in the 17th century. It was used in theatres to create illusions and special effects. Many of the glass slides used in lantern projection were based on stage productions, from serious plays to pantomimes. Home projection allowed adults and children - girls as well as boys - to create little theatres in domestic settings. Moralizing religious lectures became theatrical when delivered with the help of magic lantern projection. The glass slides reflected the class, gender, and racial attitudes found in popular theatres, like vaudeville and music halls. In the 20th century, however, the magic lantern was regarded as a precursor to the rise of cinema rather than a type of theatre, which has tended to distort its early history.

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