Magic Lantern Show For All Ages Will Be In Monroe This Weekend

Monroe Historical Society will present Professor C.O. Scope II and his Traveling Magic Lantern Show, a historic visit to Victorian entertainment, on Saturday, May 22. Professor Scope’s program will be at 7 pm at Rexford House, on the Monroe Green.

Admission is free.  Reservations are advised and can be made by calling 261-8554.  Advance tickets are also be available at Country Hearts on Main Street in Monroe, at Monroe Library, and at the Town Clerk’s office in Monroe Town Hall. Children are welcome if accompanied by an adult.

Refreshments will be available during intermission.

Attendees will enjoy the magic of pre-cinema visual entertainment through a century-old Magic Lantern and the projection of equally old hand painted glass slides.

Magic Lanterns probably originated about 1650, although its exact origins are lost in history. It wasn’t until the mid-19th Century, and the Victorian period, that Lanterns came into their own in the technology forefront.

The Magic Lantern has been used for years to entertain, educate and mystify audiences.  The first Lanternists, with a lantern and slides strapped on their back, would travel the countryside to give live performances at fairs and pubs.

As mid 1800 performances became more extensive and impressive, the Lanternists performed in halls, theaters and churches.

The Magic Lantern shows were a very popular form of entertainment. The stories would often highlight the social problems of the day: drunkenness, poverty, and unemployment.

The Victorians loved their sentiment, and they also loved their subtle humor as reflected in many of the slides. Shows were also used for sharing travels from around the world, and after major events such as a sea battles, war or erupting volcanoes, the slide shows would become the pre-cinema “Newsreels” of the their day.

For additional information call 261-8554.