From the 1st of December 2007 until the 17th of February 2008 the Westfries Museum in Hoorn held the exposition 'Laterna Magica', a vivid exposition about the magic lantern.

Digitized and managed online
Part of the collection on display in Hoorn was recently digitized by Pictura. The fragile magic lantern slides, among which were decalcomanias and photos on glass, were scanned in an optimal process. The high resolution images were then loaded into the online collection management system Memorix and given a description. It used to be that people needed a candle to make them appear but now the Westfries Museum can manage these images online with ease.

How our ancestors viewed the world
“A light source in a box, with a small chimney to carry off the smoke and heat, a sled into which a lantern slide can be slid and a lens for the projection, that is all it is. ‘But it isn’t about the machine’, Olivier Havermans explains. ‘The magic lantern is most of all an experience. It is about how our ancestors viewed the world, how they were entertained and what was needed for that.’” (De Pers | January 7th, 2008)

Fairy tales, reports from exotic places and famous stories were conjured onto a sheet on the wall by the magic lantern, but it did not just provide simple entertainment. Havermans, who composed the exposition, tells of magic lantern shows with a mission: “Around 1900, in the Paleis van Volksvlijt the Salvation Army showed images that warned against alcohol abuse. You would see a series of slides: father getting his pay, going straight to a pub and being brought home dead drunk by his mates, after which the entire family broke down dramatically. This was then followed by a series of slides of father going straight home with his pay and a happy family enjoying all good things a life without alcohol offered them.”

You have been warned.

The exposition in the Westfries Museum was held until the 17th of February 2008.