Australia – Magic Lantern Slide Set – c1905. | Voyager Rare Books Maps & Prints

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Australia – Magic Lantern Slide Set – c1905.

Short Description

Produced by W. Butcher & sons, London (1870-1906) under the brand name Primus. Sold as a set of eight in cardboard box with Lantern Lecture Reading notes. Complete.

Standard magic lantern glass size 3.5 inch by 3.5 inch. All images square with rounded corners, original black mounting tape along edges. Very bright colouring, super condition apart from a crack in one slide.

The slides comprise

Government House Melbourne
Sydney Harbour – Well before the bridge and heavily treed.
Gold Mining Past and Present
Sheep Shearing
Richmond River [Northern NSW]
In the Bush
A Kangaroo Hunt
Australian Aborigines

There is much more about these images than observed at first glance.

The image of aborigines includes an inset of a proud Murray River Warrior which is clearly derived from a photograph taken in 1880 by Samuel White Sweet. Resplendent in a possum skin coat holding a fighting waddy and decorated malcarra (shield) and string bag the subject cuts a proud figure. Maggs are currently selling a collection including the photograph – eye watering $.

The kangaroo hunt is rather gruesome particularly the practice of cutting the tendon.

The gold mining slide is super albeit cracked with an inset image of the old time cradle against the powerful mechanised image of Ballarat mines.

The accompanying words are fairly comprehensive and interesting but of the period so anti C’s beware.

Australia as it was seen over 100 years ago.

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