Sample image of this type of slide – slide shown is slide 31 of Das Wunder Aziens: Teil I (lecture: Franz Stoedtner, 40 slides, in/after 1895)
Most surviving lantern slides are in one of the standard glass formats, which were used from around the 1870s until the 35mm slide format became popular from the middle of the 20th century.
The subject (usually a photograph or transfer, but sometimes hand-painted or drawn directly onto the glass) is produced on the inner surface of an 'image glass' sheet and protected by a 'cover glass' of the same size.
A paper 'mount' (also known as a 'mat' or 'mask') is usually inserted between the two glasses to frame the image, and the edges are sealed with a 'binding strip' of gummed paper or fabric. A few later designs (early to mid C20th) use a thin metal channel or strip as the edge binding.
---In this sub-type the glasses are rectangular, 3¼ inches (83mm) high by 4 inches (100mm) wide. The thickness can vary between about 3mm and 1.5mm – in general thinner slides are probably later than thicker ones, as glass manufacture developed over the decades.
This was the standard size adopted for mass-produced photographic and transfer slides in the United States and a few other countries.
Record created by Richard Crangle. Last updated 7 October 2019
How to cite this record: all the information in Lucerna is freely available for use for any legal non-commercial purpose. If you use any of the information or any images from this page, please credit Lucerna in the following (or an equivalent) style:
Lucerna Magic Lantern Web Resource, lucerna.exeter.ac.uk, item 5000287. Accessed 1 September 2024.
All Lucerna data is published in good faith as the latest known version of the information, but without any guarantee as to its accuracy or completeness. If you can correct or add to our information, or supply any images, please Contact us.
Using images from Lucerna: all the digital images on the Lucerna site are available to use for any legal non-commercial purpose, free of charge, if you acknowledge their source and include any copyright statement as it appears under the image. The images are relatively low-resolution, and not intended for print reproduction or projection. If you need a higher-resolution version of the image(s) on this page, please Contact us to ask about availability.