Magic lantern - Racial images on magic lantern slides. part 4.

Racial images on magic lantern slides.
part 4.


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This item includes words or images that may be racially or otherwise offensive. They are included here as historical reproductions from a different period with different standards, and do not indicate any support or approval of such ideas and statements by the webmaster/author of this site.
They show the role that non-western figures often played in magic lantern stories and the way they were depicted on the slides.

Single slipping slide made by McAllister, Optician New York, but there is also a label that reads: Made in Great Britain expressly. A second label reads: 116. A Miraculous Cure.

A miraculous cure: Monk fishing the devil out of a native.

The Siesta Disturbed or: No Catchee, no havee Mr Spots. Funny set of eight magic lantern slides by an unknown manufacturer. You must use your brain if you cannot use your brawn. Here the black man shows to be very clever.






A. Tossing the pancake, once, twice, go. - B. Bang Crash. Two slides from the Catastrophe Series made by York & Son, England.

	A couple of two other Catastrophe slides. 'Nigger and Dutchman', made by Bamforth & Co.


Sambo's serenade. A small comic set of three slides. Oops, dad's home. The manufacturer is Bamforth & Co., England.
		Catastrophe slides are pairs of magic lantern slides that were shown in rapid succession to illustrate a comic, but also always dramatic, situation. The first one mostly shows a rather normal start of the story and the second one shows the mostly disastrous sequel. These slides are made by York & Son, England.

	A watermelon bust. A set of hand-painted glass magic lantern slides, all signed by "J.A. Yarnall" and dated "1903". They illustrate a crude story, filled with racist stereotypes.


How Uncle Pompey jined de pledge. A temperance negro sketch. The set of twelve slides is from Walter Tyler. The slides measure 8.2 x 8.2 cm and are hand coloured. The tippler Uncle Pompey climbs the roof of his house in an overconfident mood and is only removed by his family once he has promised to take the pledge.

1. Introduction.	2. 'I'se jined de pledge!' sang out little Abe.

3. He belonged to the sad, dark army of Drink.	4. 'Uncle Pomp, don' -- don' ye want to jine'.

5. He triumphantly glared down on the bold Cadet.	6. Uncle Pompey, fat and heavy, climbed upon the roof.

7. 'Help! help! help!' he yelled.	8. 'Run, Abe!' screamed Aunty Flora.

9. What if he came through the roof?	10. 'Can't hab dis ladder until ye say ye'll jine'

11. Uncle Pompey said, 'I'll jine'.	12. Interior -- Niggers rejoicing.

	Little Black Me There are certainly also sets of slides that can be characterized as anti-racial, such as the set 'Little Black Me' below. The set was made around 1900 by Bamforth & Co, England, after a song by Thurland Chattaway, 'Little black me' (London: Charles Sheard & Co., 1899).

1. Introduction, with Title	2. A little child one day was listening to the teacher tell a story	3. She told about the angels, and she heard her say 'If little girls were good'


4. Like those above that sang sweet songs of glory	5. She sadly said 'They're not all black like me'	6. 'Mamma, are there any angels black like me?'

7. Words of Chorus	8. And then the mother put the little child to bed	9. She brushed away the tears while she was sleeping


10. And in the night the angels gathered o'er her head	11. When the morning came the child had passed away	12. She seemed to hear her say, 'I'm with the angels, now, mamma'
		More.......