magic lantern

n.
An optical device formerly used to project an enlarged image of a picture.

Apparatus used to project an image, usually on to a screen, in use from at least the 17th century to the early 20th, the precursor of the modern slide projector. A transparent slide containing the image was placed between a source of illumination and a set of lenses to focus and direct the image. Although Athanasius Kircher is traditionally regarded as the first to outline the principles involved in the magic lantern in his book Ars magna lucis et umbrae (Rome, 1646, rev. Amsterdam, 1671), it is known to have been in use much earlier. Kircher's work is regarded as a development of the work of Giambattista della Porta (?1535-1615), who popularized the CAMERA OBSCURA and wrote Magiae naturalis (Naples, 1558). Although Kircher had apparent success in projecting images painted on strips of glass, improvements to the apparatus came about only following the investigations of such scientists as W. J. 's Gravesande (1688-1742). Early lanterns were crude, and the dependence on oil for illumination meant that most were fitted with a chimney in order to expel heat and fumes. Improvements in the magic lantern and the development of possibilities in the projection of optical effects were closely tied to the search for an illuminant that was stronger and more stable. When oil was finally superseded by limelight (lime ignited in oxy-hydrogen gas) and then by acetylene and the electric arc lamp, the magic lantern show was able to exploit sophisticated images involving effects of colour and movement; having been for a time the preserve of travelling showmen, the magic lantern was able to take its place among the major public optical spectacles of the 18th and 19th centuries.

See the Abbreviations for further details.

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The noun has one meaning:

Meaning #1: an early form of slide projector

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