December 31, 2025|Reports

“A Magic Lantern Show: Victorian Humour” – Alan Brindle

Our final meeting of the year was a joint event with the Wickham Society, held on Tuesday 9th December. Over sixty members from both societies came together to enjoy a Magic Lantern show – the Victorian predecessor of PowerPoint.

Magic lantern slides are transparent images (painted, printed, or photographic) on glass plates, projected using a magic lantern. They were used for both education and entertainment, often featuring Victorian humour. The most famous moving slide ever produced, The Rat Swallower, was included in the show. This hand-painted slide depicts a man asleep in his bed, unaware that a rat is sitting on his pillow. When his mouth opens, a succession of rats appears to crawl inside, giving the lanternist the opportunity to add sound effects of spluttering and chomping. These shows were incredibly popular, as the illusion of moving images was very new to Victorian audiences – but the shows were not without danger as projectors frequently caught fire and sometimes even exploded. Fortunately, Alan’s projector has been updated with LED lights, so no urgent risk assessment was required! This was the twenty-fifth anniversary of our joint society meetings and they are a great tradition with fizz and mince pies and members enjoying the opportunity to stay on to catch up and exchange Christmas and New Year greetings. If you missed the meeting but would like to see a magic lantern in operation put a note in your calendar as Alan is often on HMS Warrior at Christmas time with his show.