Antique Parisian magic / phantasmagorical lantern. Late 18th century.

Very old Parisian magic / phantasmagorical lantern. Late 18th century.

The magic lantern is the forerunner of projection equipment, particularly the slide projector. Invented in the 17th century by Father Athanase Kircher in Germany and Father De Châle in France, it was used to project images painted on glass plates through a lens, using the light of a candle or oil lamp. Initially dubbed the "lantern of fear" by its inventor, it was later renamed the "magic lantern" by the Jesuit Francesco Eschinardi because of the fascination its images exerted on the public. At the end of the 18th century, phantasmagoria, etymologically "the art of making ghosts speak in public", consisted of projecting and animating miniature pictures painted on glass plates or engraved on an opaque support onto a canvas or smoke screen. Devils and ghosts to frighten the audience! This form of entertainment was a huge success at the turn of the Enlightenment.