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Archives Center, National Museum of American History
Guide to the World War One Theater Lantern Slides
Summary
- Collection ID:
- NMAH.AC.1294
- Creators:
-
National Museum of American History (U.S.). Division of Culture and the Arts
- Dates:
-
1914-1925
- Languages:
-
English.
- Physical Description:
-
17 Glass slides0.15 Cubic feet1 box
- Repository:
This collection consists of seventeen glass lantern slides depicting World War I advertising and propaganda images. The images include clothing advertisements, home furnishings, local events, treasury and stamp savings, organizations such as the American Red Cross and Merchant Marines, and tips on rationing.
Scope and Contents
Scope and Contents
The collection consists of seventeen lantern slides related to World War I efforts, advertisements, and miscellaneous use. There is no information about who created or produced the slides.
The slides depict tips for rationing food and clothing, calls from the American Red Cross and the Merchant Marines to assist in the war effort, and promotions to buy treasury and stamp savings bonds. The advertisements depict clothing, home furnishings, local events, and boxing matches. The single miscellaneous lantern slide depicts a humorous scene of a family living in close quarters.
Arrangement
Arrangement
This collection is arranged into three series.
Series 1: War Effort, 1914-1919
Series 2: Advertisements, 1914-1925
Series 3: Miscellaneous, undated
Biographical / Historical
Biographical / Historical
Lantern slides came into existence during the nineteenth century and continued into the early twentieth century. Lantern slides are typically glass plates with an image imprinted on them. A projector casts light through the slide, which passes through a lens that focuses the image on the projected screen. Slides gained popularity in classroom settings and for use between theater shows during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. They acted as advertisements and service announcements for the theaters while the projection crew swapped out movie reels. With the advent of movie trailers and advertisement films, lantern slides fell in popularity but their legacy remains as the precursor to slide projectors created during the 1950s through the 1980s.
Administration
Author
Corey Schmidt
Custodial History
Transferred from the Division of Culture and the Arts to the Archives Center. Date unknown.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Donated by Janes Bachelet on April 28, 2000.
Processing Information
Processed by Corey Schmidt, 2016.
Existence and Location of Copies
Lantern slides digitized in 2016. See repository for details.
Using the Collection
Conditions Governing Access
Collection is open for research.
Conditions Governing Use
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Preferred Citation
World War I Theater Lantern Slides, circa 1914-1925, Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution
Materials in the Archives Center
Materials in the Archives Center
Robert Bagby Stereographs and Lantern Slides collection (AC1185)
Lantern Slide Collection (AC0686)
Division of Cultural History Lantern Slides and Stereographs (AC0945)
Keywords
Archives Center, National Museum of American History
P.O. Box 37012
Suite 1100, MRC 601
Washington, D.C. 20013-7012
archivescenter@si.edu
