This list of lantern slide collections provides an overview of collections held in institutions internationally. The magic lantern was a very popular medium, particularly so from the 18th to the early 20th Century. There are many collections which remain uncatalogued. As a result, this list is likely to continue to expand as more information is made available.
The terms "lantern slides" and "magic lantern" are used here as umbrella terms for describing objects related to the historical art of projection. Various terms can be found across history, disciplines, intended audiences or for descriptions of specific formats of slides and types of lanterns. In English, historical terms for "lantern slides" are "transparencies", "photographic transparencies", "slides" and "magic lantern slides". Alternative terms for magic lanterns include "optical lantern", "sciopticon", "stereopticon", "projection apparatus", "toy lantern" and more. The Lucerna Magic Lantern Web Resource [1] and the Magic Lantern and Lantern Slide Catalog Collection on Media History Digital Library [2] offer sources that display the range of terminology used. This list welcomes all references, independent of the term that the respective collection uses to describe its material.
The majority of the collections included form part of museum, archive, and library collections which are made available to researchers either by appointment or through digital platforms. Magic, or optical, lantern slides vary in date, subject, format and use, and the collections listed reflect that variation. The collections are arranged by country, specifying collection name and description where known. Collections owned by private individuals are not listed.
Institution | Department | Location | Collection |
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Museum Victoria | Melbourne |
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National Film and Sound Archive | Canberra |
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University of Melbourne | Melbourne |
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Institution | Department | Location | Collection |
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Museum of Modern Art, Antwerp | Robert Vrielynck Collection | Antwerp |
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Institution | Department | Location | Collection |
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Digitized Okanagan History | Kelowna, BC |
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Toronto International Film Festival | The Film Reference Library | Toronto, Ontario |
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Institution | Department | Location | Collection |
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Danmarks Tekniske Universitet | DTU Historie en Samlingsdatabase | Lyngby |
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Institution | Department | Location | Collection |
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Cinémathèque Française | Paris |
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Institution | Department | Location | Collection |
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University of Hamburg | Kunstgeschichtliches Seminar der Universität Hamburg | Hamburg |
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Institution | Department | Location | Collection |
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National Museum of Cinema | Turin | Over 8,000 standard and movement slides from two major collections, some of which have been digitised.[13] | |
Museum of Precinema | Padua |
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Institution | Department | Location | Collection | |
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EYE Film Institute Netherlands | Film museum | Amsterdam |
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Museum Sloten | Museum Stedhûs Sleat | Sloten / Sleat |
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Speelgoedmuseum Deventer | Deventer |
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Stichting Nationaal Museum van Wereldculturen | Stichting Nationaal Museum van Wereldculturen | Leiden |
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Utrecht University | Utrecht University Museum | Utrecht |
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Institution | Department | Location | Collection |
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Cinema Museum (Girona) | Tomàs Mallol Collection | Girona |
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Institution | Department | Location | Collection | |
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Rhodes University | Lidbetter Photographic Collection | Makhanda |
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Rhodes University | Sir George Cory Lantern Slide Collection | Makhanda |
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Institution | Department | Location | Collection |
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Franses Tapestry Archive | London |
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Science Museum Group | London, Bradford |
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University of Bristol | The Theatre Collection | Bristol |
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University of Exeter | Bill Douglas Cinema Museum | Exeter |
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University of Brighton | Screen Archive South East | Brighton |
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University of Glasgow | Glasgow University Library, Special Collections Department | Glasgow |
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University of Manchester | John Rylands Library | Manchester | |
University of Sheffield | The University Library, Special Collections Department | Sheffield |
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The Folklore Society | University College London's Special Collections | London |
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Institution | Department | Location | Collection |
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Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences | Margaret Herrick Library | Los Angeles, California |
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Columbia University | Department of Art History and Archaeology | New York City, New York |
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Library of Congress | Prints and Photograph Division | Washington, D.C. | |
Ohio State University | Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee Theatre Research Institute | Columbus, Ohio |
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University of South Florida | Special Collections Department, Tampa Library | Tampa, Florida |
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