Abstract:Abstract The magic lantern, a device most closely associated with Victorian social reform and education, also embraced pornography. However, little is known of the public circumstances in which they w...Abstract The magic lantern, a device most closely associated with Victorian social reform and education, also embraced pornography. However, little is known of the public circumstances in which they were seen, or how they were presented by idiosyncratic lanternists. This article examines a few disperate images against a background of general lantern history. Notes 1. Mannoni, L., Nekes, W. & Warner, M. (2005) Eyes, Lies and Illusions, Hayward Gallery/Lund Humphries, London. 2. For more about the history of the magic lantern refer to The Magic Lantern Society journals and publications, especially Encyclopaedia of the Magic Lantern, 2001 and Realms of Light, 2005. 3. Discovery Channel news item, 17 May, 2004. 4. Best source for examples, The Era newspaper, 1896 et seq. 5. The Lady's Magazine, 2 February, 1802, p. 6. 6. In 1831 a little‐known playwright, H. M. Milner, turned Byron's romantic poem into an equestrian entertainment. It was staged at various times thereafter in Britain and America, sometimes employing a live actor, but usually just a dummy. The most sensational representation of the horse scene occurred at Smith's Green Street Theatre, Albany on 7 June, 1861, when the American actress Adah Isaacs Mencken assumed the leading role. With her hair cropped short and her legs and pulchritudinous form clad in pink fleshings, she caused a sensation, which was soon to be repeated New York, Paris, London and Vienna. For more about Adah Menken's career read Falk (Citation1934). 7. For further information on both these shows, see Altick (Citation1978), pp. 345–349. 8. Suggestion for further reading: Gettings (Citation1978). 9. My thanks to Lester Smith for this further information. 10. Lytle, L. The Story of William Mortensen, www.thescreamonline.com/photo/photo06‐01/mortensen 11. Ibid.Read More
Publication Year: 2005
Publication Date: 2005-09-01
Language: en
Type: article
Indexed In: ['crossref']
Access and Citation
Cited By Count: 2
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