Collections

magic lantern / projection lantern / optical lantern / glass plates / diapositives

Within the B-magic project, numerous collections with glass slides and magic lanterns have been consulted at archives, museums, schools and research institutes with very different origins. These collections contain materials in a wide variety of formats and themes: science, education, politics, religion, art history, geography, industry, leisure, entertainment… 

Glass plates in Belgian collections are often produced in series or sold in sets by international commercial suppliers such as Bing, Plank, Maison de la Bonne Presse... 

Nevertheless, many glass plates are made in Belgium and contain positives of photographs by both professional and amateur photographers. These slides or ‘lichtbeelden’ were projected as part of lectures, performances or publicity events in front of an audience. More unique are hand-made glass plates, painted manually or containing illustrative extracts from magazines or newspapers. 

Below you find an overview of the collections that are currently investigated in the framework of B-magic. This overview is regularly updated with newly consulted collections. 

Are you aware of an interesting collection in Belgium that is not included in the list below? Let us know via b-magic@uantwerpen.be