What do you know about 19th-century television with

Before the film era, middle and upper-class families in England watched 'television' on the screen so much that it became a custom.

Animated movies are of course not invented in the Victorian period (1837-1901), but those living at the time had another way to see 'television' : a device that converged light to project a call image . 'magic lantern'. According to a new study, the first projectors became more popular and accessible than previously thought.

Audiences came to see a screening in the 19th century. (Painting by Bill Douglas, the film museum of Exeter University, England).

'Magic Lantern' (Magic Lantern) - basically this is the precursor to today's positive movie projectors - that can display 3D images and even animations (like GIFs), but It differs from slow-motion video and manual image replacement In the device, light is projected through a thin sheet of glass (or oil paper) drawing images in clear water color (later a positive film), to a concave mirror that amplifies the image to the front plane. , set distance is calculated to get the highest definition.

A 'Magic Lantern' produced in 1890, the glass panels were arranged into a rotating shaft for easy manipulation.(Photo: Bonhams.com).

Due to the high cost, modern historians have argued that very few rich people can afford these projectors. But new research shows that middle-class families often rent projectors for birthday parties, holidays and other social events they attend.

The study was published on August 29 at the 2018 Victorian Research Association Annual Meeting. Associate Professor John Plunkett at the University of Exeter, found many newspapers from the Victorian era that had an advertisement for 'lanterns. magic ' , showing that people at that time often hired operators to show the images they liked, especially on their children's Christmas and birthday.

A sliding plate draws four different animals.It is shown by pushing each image one by one before the strong light source in the projector.(Photo by Bill Douglas, Film Museum, University of Exeter).

'Magic lanterns' have become so popular that it is no different from today's videos, anyone can rent new images to show at churches, halls and private homes, Plunkett said. Those screenings illustrate novels or introduce photos taken from distant lands like Egypt. "Just like the Netflix system or store renting video and computer games, this is an approach to more visual entertainment media, rather than buying them , " Plunkett said.

People started using 'magic lanterns' in the 1500s, but until the early 1800s this technology became more widely available when optical experts, photographers and sellers (the Sellers of stationery and office equipment) in the UK began renting projectors to advertise products, Plunkett said. It must be said that the work of Faraday, the scientist, when he developed a system that uses more lenses together with color filters to get the standard light.

Initially, candles were used to create light sources, but then people sought to create stronger light by burning mineral lime with oxygen and hydrogen gas mixtures. It is so bright that it is later used in lighthouses and light in large stages. However, this risk is quite high, there have been some reports of accidents or fire, so most people prefer to rent short-term projectors, usually at home. The cost is not cheap even for the middle class, especially when they want to hire an additional machine operator, Plunkett said."By the end of the century, prices had become much more affordable , " he said.

As other entertainment technologies evolved, especially with the appearance of a dialogue film in the 1920s, the 'magic lantern' gradually sank into oblivion.