The arrival of the new Phantasmagoria exhibit at the MFA provides good reason to mention Richard Balzar’s Peepshows: A Visual History. This charming book details the history of optical toys such as magic lanterns and peepshows that predated movies, and which created the illusion of images that moved. The devices flourished as popular entertainment in the 18th century.
The MFA exhibit features many items from the late Richard Balzer’s collection. Years ago, Mr. Balzer presented a fascinating lecture at Magic Art Studio that introduced NEMCA members to his magic lantern collection.
The MFA exhibit page provides details on the history of the Phantasmagoria, the 18th century equivalent of today’s spooky science fiction or horror movies. The page also features a charming video of Richard Balzer speaking about magic lanterns and demonstrating items from his collection. Various forms of the magic lantern were used for entertainment and, increasingly, for educational purposes until slide projector became common in the 1950’s.
Mice jump into the mouth of a sleeping bearded man on a popular mechanical slide from circa 1870. Courtesy of Wikipedia.org
