Magic lantern - Etiquette.

Magic lantern etiquette.
It must have been agreeable at the fairs and in the pubs, but when the performances were given in a real theatre, then rather strict rules of etiquette were observed.

Please come in ...... Of course the visitors were warmly welcomed at the start of the performance by the lanternist, the man who operated the magic lantern, or the explicator, the man who provided the images shown with often blood-curdling or comic stories. 'The man' yes, because it is unlikely that women were also involved in giving a performance with the magic lantern at that time. That is quite different in this time.



Ladies, please remove your hats! A lady looks graceful with such a voluminous hat, but you don't want to sit in the chair just behind her!



...... and you gentlemen, remove your hats too!


Forget all your troubles and relax.

We kindly ask you not to smoke here!

Oh, those men.... They were sometimes not only smoking but also spitting on the floor and against the wall and they often used very indecent language. Or even worse ....


Keep quiet and behave yourself!


Yes, and that also applies to the children. What can they be a pain in the neck (sigh).

And if you don't want to listen .... .... then you will be kicked out without mercy, or the show will end prematurely.

But when everyone had behaved oneself properly ..... ..... then a more friendly farewell was said.



And if you missed the start of the show .... Well, after the interval you can just stay here and see what you missed.

Are you satisfied, tell it everybody...... .... and are you discontented, just tell us.


The lantern slides above were made by various, often unknown, manufacturers. The slides with an 'antique' frame were all made by the American photographer and manufacturer of magic lantern slides Edward Van Altena. Edward started working with John Duer Scott in 1904 and founded 'Scott & Van Altena'. Until 1919 he produced hand-coloured and skilfully mounted Singalong Slides. And that at a time when there were no computer programs like Photo Shop yet! Magic lantern slides that are provided with text are generally referred to as 'motto slides'. The texts often relate to the performance, such as the pictures above, but other texts are also possible, such as Christmas and New Year wishes, 'A Happy New Year', 'Merry Christmas', 'Compliments of the Season', Patriotic texts, 'Rule Britannia', 'God bless the King (or Queen), Religious texts,' God be with you ', and sometimes a personal birthday wish,' Many happy returns of the Day '. Another special group of text slides are the advertising slides of, among others, Cadbury's Cocoa, Bovril and Quaker Oats.