Magic lanterns - Louis Aubert

Magic Lanterns, manufactured by
Louis Aubert

The French magic lantern and slide manufacturer and metalworker Louis Aubert took over the business of a colleague metal worker when he opened a shop in Paris, around 1842. Aubert became one of the most celebrated makers of toy lanterns, being highly skilled in forming moulded tinplate lanterns decorated with a translucent spirit-based lacquer. Around 1865 he began to make lampascopes, lanterns that could be placed on top of a domestic oil lamp. Some lanterns bore a close resemblance to the lanterns made by Lapierre, but it's difficult to determine which manufacturer copied the other. Famous Aubert models are the Eiffel Tower, produced on the occasion of the 1889 Exposition Universelle (World Fair) and produced in four sizes, and his designs of a smiling Buddha (see also Phantasy Magic Lanterns). Aubert also mass-produced slides, which also were very similar to those made by Lapierre. In 1884 Lapierre took over his main rival's business and produced simplified versions of all the Aubert models since the 1840s under his own name, leaving the lantern production to Aubert. In 1891 the Aubert workshops were finally amalgamated with those of Lapierre. Aubert also filed a patent for a system of illumination, known as the Aubert system.
	Polychrome, 1880 Multicoloured magic lantern. Height:30 cm, diameter 12 cm. Translucent alcohol varnish.
		Rainurrée, 1880 A beautiful multicoloured alcohol varnished toy magic lantern. This lantern is also designed to be placed on top of an oil lamp, therefore it does not contain its own illuminant. Height: 12 3/4" (32 cm).
	Probably made by Aubert, possibly made by Lapierre. The design of this lantern is almost the same as the 'Rainurrée' up here, the painting however is less exuberant. This lantern is designed to be placed on top of an oil lamp, therefore it does not contain its own illuminant. The dimensions are 12.5" (32 cm) high and 10.5" (26.5 cm) long.

	Perfectionnée, 1870. Lampascope made of tin. Brown lacquered with a transparent varnish. The height is 35 cm, the length 23 cm.
	La Leçon des Choses, 1880 Enfants n'y touchez pas. The magnificent Leçon des Choses (Learning a lesson: children, don't touch anything) lantern, with dazzling polychrome decoration en relief. Height: 30 cm, diameter 17 cm. Photo: Ernst Hrabalek, Laterna Magica.
	Feuille de Chene, 1860 Beautifully designed lantern, decorated with oak leaves (see detail). Height 30 cm.
	Fame Feuille, 1885 This lantern is a so called lampascope, designed to be placed on top of a common house hold table oil lamp. The overall size with the chimney is 13 inches (33 cm). The diameter is 9 inches (23 cm), not counting the objective. This version is dark orange lacquered; the lantern was produced in a polychrome version too.

Three sides of the lamp house are beautiful decorated with an embossed relief figure of a saint (mind the aureole around his head and his symbol, I suppose it is a dog or a cat, at his feet). The dimensions are 11" (28 cm) high and 8.5" (21.5 cm) long and 4.5" (11.5 cm) wide. Probably made by Aubert, possibly made by Lapierre.
	This splendid 19th century magic lantern is made from tin with beautiful ornamented borders and hand stamped stars on the sides. The built-in slide holder is very rare. The lantern measures about 16” tall and the diameter of the body is 7 ½” (40.5 x 19 cm. Marked on the front on a small plate, 'Brevete, L. Aubert, S.G.D.G.'

Buddha, oldest variant (see: Phantasy lanterns).

C.1875 Buddha, second variant.
Aubert's famous Buddha shaped magic lantern was made in three variations. Unlike the oldest variant, the second variant does not have a relief pressed lens cover but painted ornaments on it instead, there is an open chimney on the Buddha's hat to further the drain of the heat, and there is no door on the back. The third variant is almost similar to the second one; it is brown metallic varnished however.

Another very special magic lantern from Aubert is the Eiffel tower.