Magic lantern - Slides depicting fairy tales, part 1.

A rather extensive collection of magic lantern slide sets depicting famous fairy tales

Part 1. Tom Thumb - Pied Piper of Hamelin


Go to:	part 1	part 2	part 3	part 4	part 5	part 6	part 7	part 8	part 9	part 10

Der kleine Daümling - Tom Thumb

	Der Kleine Däumling (Hop o'my Thumb). Complete set of 6 slides. This set was probably made by Gebrüder Bing but sold under several trade marks in a cardboard box.
	Two long slides from a set of 12 magic lantern slides made by Bing comprising two slides each with four pictures from each of the following fairy tales: Hop o'my Thumb, Hans and Gretel, Sleeping Beauty, Little Snow-white, Little Red Riding Hood, and Cinderella, with text. The sets were produced in sizes from 3-9 cms wide and 11-28 cms long, the larger both without and with a protecting cover glass.
	Tom Thumb and his six Brothers A set of 12 square magic lantern slides made by Theobald & Co., England, in their series 'All British T-series' as number 111.




Tom Thumb This set of square magic lantern slides was made by York and Son, one of the UK's finest lantern slide makers.
The Story of Tom Thumb exists in a lot of variations. This version differs from the stories above and is told after the first fairy tale printed and published in English in 1621. Tom is no bigger than his father's thumb, and his adventures include being swallowed by a cow, tangling with giants, and becoming a favourite of King Arthur. Later adaptations involve swallowing (by a miller and a salmon), being imprisoned in a mousetrap, angering the King and his queen, and finally dying from the poisonous breath of a spider.
	1. Tom Thumb's Mother and the Magician.	2. Tom gets into the boys' pockets and takes their cherry stones.

3. Tom tumbles into a Pudding.	4. Giant Grumbo swallows him whole.	5. Tom Thumb and King Arthur.

6. The King giving Tom as much money as he can carry.	7. Tom shut up in a Mousetrap.	8. Tom killed by the poisonous breath of a spider.
The story of Tom Thumb was also published in The Junior Lecturer's Series as part 600. While some images are quite different, other slides show a striking resemblance to the slides made by York and Son.


Hop O' my Thumb	A set of eight hand painted magic lantern slides measuring 178 mm x 102 mm, made by Carpenter & Westley of 24 Regent Street, London. The eight attractive images are each on a circular glass plate in a mahogany frame and tell the story of 'Hop 'O my thumb' also known as Little Thumbling from the fairytale by Charles Perrault.




	Another set, made by John Wrench & Son, shows the same images as above, and in addition the slide on the left, making it a set of 9 slides. On the left, Klein Duimpje wears a red jacket, in the series above it is blue. Each painter was allowed to determine the colours to his own taste. This makes it immediately noticeable when a slide is added to a series with a missing slide. The protagonist sometimes suddenly wears a completely different dress.

THE PIED PIPER OF HAMELIN A legend that became widely known by the Brothers Grimm, who published the story in their Deutsche Sagen. The legend tells something that should have happened in the German town of Hameln at 26 June 1284.

1. Hamelin.	2. They fought the dogs.	3. Rouse up, Sirs, give your brains a racking.

4. Bless us, cried the Mayor, what's that!	5. His queer long coat from heel to head.	6. And out of the house the rats came tumbling.

7. Ratland home.	8. Ringing the bells till they rocked the steeple.	9. And folks who put me in a passion.

10. Out came the children running.	11. When lo! as they reached the mountain side.	12. Did I say all? No! one was lame.

Here are two slides from the same set, but this time in a black and white version, with square images with rounded corners.

The set below is made by an unknown manufacturer. Slide titles are missing. The images do correspond completely to the images of the slides above. Unfortunately slides #6 and #10 are missing.






THE PIED PIPER OF HAMELIN, illustrated by Kate Greenaway






		All slides are provided with a label showing the name and address of the manufacturer Newton and Co, and the mention 'by permission of Messrs F. (Frederick) Warne Co' (publisher of the book). Slides measure 3.25 inches square. Unfortunately slide # 12 is missing in this set.
Catherine 'Kate' Greenaway (17 March 1846–6 November 1901) was one of the most influential, popular and respected English children’s book illustrators and writers of the time. Over a century after her death, her work remains sought-after, and The Kate Greenaway Medal, an annual prize (since 1955) awarded for excellence in the field of English children’s illustration, lives on in her honour. The book The Pied Piper of Harmelin was published in 1888.
The story of The Pied Piper of Harmelin was also published in The Junior Lecturer's Series as part 616.
More famous fairy tales......

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Last update: 06-02-2024.