The Riverside Enterprise reported that on May 1st, 1895 a man by the name of Mr. McBurney gave a magic lantern show at the Union school house, located in today's Mira Loma. There was only a small crowd in attendance at the school that night due to the inclement weather. However, it was reported that everyone present enjoyed the views very much. The night before Mr. McBurney had given the same show at the West Riverside school house to a large audience.
A magic lantern was what we would think of today as a slide projector. A light was shown through a slide and the "magic lantern," through the use of mirrors, would project an enlarged picture on a screen. The slides used were color and the color was applied by hand. By the end of the 19th century magic lanterns came in all sizes and where used for entertainment in the home, in schools, churches, clubs, etc.... Magic lanterns are considered the precursor to modern movies.
No comments:
Post a Comment