A Million Pictures: Magic Lantern Slide Heritage as Artefacts in the Common European History of Learning

Lead Research Organisation: UNIVERSITY OF EXETER
Department Name: English

Abstract

The magic lantern was the most important visual entertainment and means of instruction across nineteenth-century Europe. However, despite its pervasiveness across multiple scientific, educational and popular contexts, this technology remains little known to the European public. Moreover, though surviving magic lantern slides provide a massive, pan-European repository of heritage materials, encapsulating in visual form almost every conceivable facet of late nineteenth-century knowledge, this archive remains largely untapped by scholars, stakeholders and the general public. These fascinating and frequently beautiful objects are to be found in numerous local and national libraries, museums, and archives of all kinds, with some collections holding tens of thousands of lantern slides, but a lack of common standards for documentation and preservation has limited the impact of existing initiatives, and hindered the recognition of the significance of these objects. 'A Million Pictures' addresses the sustainable management of this invaluable, but overlooked, heritage resource and seeks to develop vital new tools for documentation, preservation, digitisation and re-use of lantern slides.
Across four case studies, taking place in the UK, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Spain, the project investigates the use of magic lantern slides within learned societies and educational institutions as well as in popular venues (theatres, opera houses, museums and observatories) and will also investigate methods for classifying the repertoire of these shows. It will explore the needs of contemporary museums, archives, libraries, and other collections for allowing access and re-use of slide images, and will provide examples of digital re-working of slide shows as well as other forms of re-enactment. It will examine ways for people to enhance their knowledge about lantern slides and so allow them to connect to their shared European history of learning.
The UK-based aspect of the project will explore three representative public collections: the Library of Birmingham, the Royal Geographic Society (RGS) in London, and the Exeter Royal Albert Memorial Museum (RAMM), with a specific focus on slide sets and associated materials during the period 1880-1914.Indeed, one would be hard pushed to find a more neglected, yet substantial, national heritage resource than the magic lantern slide material dispersed across numerous British museums, libraries and archives. Individual collections each represent a remarkably rich visual archive concerning multiple aspects of national and regional public life. The Library of Birmingham possesses an estimated collection of over 100,000 slides, accumulated from the activities of numerous educational and civic organisations that were active within this large urban and industrial centre, whose scale and significance resembles that of only a few other British collections. The RAMM provides an excellent example of a smaller regional collection, of which there are many spread across the UK, with approximately 15,000 slides derived from the various organisations active during the period in question in this cathedral and market town. The RGS was, and remains, the hub of a national network, whose collection of approximately 20,000 slides was used both within the capital and in the numerous branches of the society active within cities and towns across Britain.
'A Million Pictures' will consider the different cataloguing practices as well as the different users of these three organisations. More broadly, it will publicise the scale and significance of these archives, and provide insights concerning an effective working model for their use, management, and promotion within the heritage sector more generally.

Planned Impact

Our project will impact the following:

? Beneficiaries in the cultural heritage industry.
The project's approach to cultural heritage institutions is integral: rather than conducting academic research and subsequently seeing how heritage institutions can connect to the findings, the perspectives of stakeholders are considered in all stages of the research. This integral approach will maximise the relevance of the academic research projects, facilitate knowledge exchange and benefit institutions of cultural heritage. A Million Pictures proposes to deliver research-based knowledge and expertise directly to a selection of these heritage stakeholders, enabling them to better understand these resources and to make best use of them on behalf of their users. In the case of project APs, it will achieve this by intervening directly in their engagement with these materials, providing high quality digitised copies of samples of these slides alongside relevant metadata, and developing re-use projects intended to engage directly with their users. In relation to other heritage stakeholders not directly involved in the Project, these activities are designed to demonstrate the potential heritage value of all lantern slide collections which, we contend, have the potential to connect national and regional museums, libraries, and archives to new British and international audiences.

? Longer term heritage policy.
In contributing to the development of a European standard for description and cataloguing of lantern slide artefacts, the Project will develop a template for collection management that will be widely applicable to other collections and will serve as a foundation for future projects within them. The project will influence heritage policy by showcasing some of the strengths of these collections to archival, educational, and commercial stakeholders. To this effect, UK APs include public lantern slide collections of all kinds, in museums, libraries, and archives, which have been subject to varied cataloguing practices, and whose exploitation is at different stages of development, allowing the project to provide case studies that are broadly applicable across the sector. Furthermore, through this project, the collaborating museums and archives will strengthen their international networks. This will allow future collaborations such as shared exhibitions, book publications and cultural events for devotees of old and new media.

? The public.
Working with APs in this way will permit a broad and long term engagement with the public, which will be able to gain access to lantern slide collections and knowledge concerning them for the first time. Forms of dissemination include:
- A virtual documentation centre for lantern slides and their contexts, based on the LUCERNA database, that is freely accessible to the general public, alongside provision of these materials through the APs' own digital fora. As an open access resource, with a proven track record in attracting not only academic researchers, but also professional and charitable organisations, as well as large numbers of amateur and family historians, LUCERNA will sustainably provide slide heritage to non-academic stakeholders of all kinds.
- Examples of public re-use of slide materials, including historical re-enacted slide shows, and research presentations.
- Peer-reviewed conference proceedings (Abstracts of papers will be translated into languages of participants and published on the project's website, based at the University of Utrecht).
- Regular Update on the project via website (based at the University of Utrecht), and social media (facebook, LinkedIn, twitter).
- All workshops have a slot reserved for a dissemination activity that will be open to the general public.

Publications

10 25 50
 
Title Lantern shows 
Description Magic lanternist Jeremy Brooker has created and performed two new shows as part of the project. These are his 'Light on Albemarle Street' magic lantern and science show and the 'Magic and the Muse' show, which involved the creation of new purpose-made lantern slides, as well as collaboration with contemporary musicians and performers.The latter show is now part of Brooker's repertory. 
Type Of Art Performance (Music, Dance, Drama, etc) 
Year Produced 2017 
Impact Brooker's own practice has changed: he has been able to experiment with new forms of collaboration with musicians. He has also been able to work within modern theatrical spaces. According to questionnaires distributed during the shows, the general public and museum professionals have also changed their views of the potential for public exhibitions involving magic lantern slides. 
 
Title Mad Hatter's Tea Party with The Carny Villains 
Description This was a commemoration event for the 150th anniversary of the publication of 'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland' in 2015. The show featured the Carny Villains, a ska/rockabilly band, as well as DJs, walkabout theatre, and a Wonderland fancy dress theme. The project team provided magic lantern images derived from the novel kept on Lucerna in order to enhance the atmosphere of the event, to maintain the connection to Carroll's novel, and for performance artists and audiences to respond to as part of the dynamics of the event. 
Type Of Art Performance (Music, Dance, Drama, etc) 
Year Produced 2015 
Impact This was an excellent example of cultural enrichment: material derived from magic lantern slides kept on Lucerna was brought to the wide public in the context of creative re-use. It was experienced by 200+ participants, many of whom had never encountered magic lantern materials before, thus bringing the project outputs to a wider audience. 
URL http://www.devonmuseums.net/Mad-Hatter%E2%80%99s-Tea-Party-%E2%80%93-with-The-Carny-Villains/Events/...
 
Title Magic lantern peepshow project 
Description This is the development of performer/artist Tony Lidington's original mobile peepshow device, a portable multi-media show which Tony provides to audiences in his role as a nineteenth-century showman - 'The Raree man'. A Million Pictures has funded Tony's creative re-use of images digitised and provided by Lucerna, in order to be incorporated into a news hiow, 'Lucky Dicky Crangle and the Cinnebar Moth', presented in the first instance at the RAM Museum in June 2016. He has used over forty images in the course of a ten minute entertaining narrative he has developed specifically for the project. The show has now entered Tony's repertory, and has been delivered across the UK at festivals, street shows, and other venues for families, children , and adults. 
Type Of Art Performance (Music, Dance, Drama, etc) 
Year Produced 2016 
Impact These remain to be completed. However, the project has already furnished an opportunity for Tony Lidington to redevelop his peepshow apparatus and to engineer new content for delivery to new audiences. As such, this has permitted a substantial change to take place in Tony's practices as he redesigns and modifies the content of his show. In addition, the peep show has brought magic lantern slides digitised by the project to new, previously inaccessible audiences, across the country, especially those that do not customarily attend events such as public talks or lectures. 
URL http://www.prom-prom.com/tony-lidington/research/peepshow-project/
 
Title Photography and the lantern slide 
Description The Lucerna database includes a large number of lantern slides, which have been meticulously captured using modern photographic techniques, and the development of new techniques for capturing these fragile and remarkably detailed objects. These have a resonant artistic value in and of themselves, as is evident in the images presented on the database, which have been carefully lit and colour-adjusted to emphasise the most detailed and accurate reproduction of slide details. 'A Million Pictures' has substantially improved these products, because it has provided ideal photographic and lighting equipment, and because it has been possible in collaboration with project partners and shareholders to standardise photographic techniques and methods in the best possible ways. 
Type Of Art Artefact (including digital) 
Year Produced 2015 
Impact The enhanced quality of photographic images has certainly enhanced the cultural enrichment proposed by the project, by providing clearer, more detailed and attractive images. It has also contributed to the knowledge and skills of heritage institutions, insofar as it has improved the experience of using these images in exhibitions, presentations, and events, thus bringing hidden public collections to the general public. For an example of the quality of images captured within the project (and improved upon in the higher quality images provided independently to museums), please see the URL below. 
URL http://www.slides.uni-trier.de/set/index.php?id=3006105
 
Title dvd od creative re-use of the lantern 
Description Million Pictures created a dvd, 'Magic Lantern Heritage Today,' featuring examples of creative re-use of the magic lantern. This featured three contributions from the UK team: a short video explaining Kember's attitude to lantern artefacts in the archive, and two videos produced by Tony Lidington to publicise his magic lantern peepshow. 
Type Of Art Film/Video/Animation 
Year Produced 2017 
Impact The dvd has been distributed to museum professionals and other interested parties in order to foster further interest in the magic lantern and creative reuse. 
 
Description In general terms, the project has begun the process of explaining the significance of untapped lantern slide collections - a massive visual resource at the heart of European culture 1850-1950 - to public collections, and of enabling them to access and use these resources in their own exhibitions. The project's discoveries of materials within the archive, and its development of a digital resource available to all has already borne fruit: several collections are now bringing their hidden collections to the public both within and outside the original confines of the project. This project has also begun to address the sustainable preservation of this massive, untapped heritage resource and to provide guidelines for the (digital) documentation of lantern slides. Among our accomplishments in the UK side of the project:
- We have created the world's largest database of magic lantern slides, with full contextual data, at the 'Lucerna Magic Lantern Web Resource'. This contains approximately 250,000 slide records, and almost 30,000 slide images so far
- We have created a new Community Interest Company (CIC), also called 'Lucerna,' in order to ensure sustainability of this resource into the long term (importantly, Lucerna has its own legal status and bank account) .
- We have built extensive partnerships with a series of major public collections, including (but not limited to) Manchester Museum; The Royal Geographical Society; The Royal Institution; The Royal Albert Memorial Museum, Exeter; Chetham's Library, Manchester; The Museum of Childhood (Edinburgh); Torquay Museum. We have provided consultatation, large scale digitisation, and wide-ranging research within these collections.
- The slides collections from various Museums and archives have now been reused extensively in open public events that have included major theatrical performances, street theatre across the country, public talks, a Halloween show, and an Alice in Wonderland-styled musical performance, as well as in public events at national institutions such as the Royal Geographical Society and the Royal Institution.
- We have run two international workshops: one at the Royal Institution, London, on the theme of the 'Magic Lantern and Science' and one at Exeter, concerning 'New Directions for Lantern Research.'
- We have sponsored and enabled with our research several new creative forms of magic lantern show. These have included the magic lantern peepshow created by Promenade Promotions, which has toured towns, and festivals across the UK; Jeremy Brooker's creation of a spectacular new lantern show, including both antique and purpose-made painted slides, called 'Magic and the Muse' which has so far been performed at the Birmingham Crescent and Exeter Barnfield Theatres to a a packed audience; and further show , called 'A New Light on Albermarle Street concerning the lantern's role in science, performed thus far at the Royal Institution lecture theatre.
Exploitation Route Our findings are already being used by numerous academics and private researchers who are able to access the Lucerna Magic Lantern Web Resource database and the contents that have been uploaded thus far during the project.
In addition, the Museums and other collections we are working with have changed their own practices as a result of our work with them. The RAM Museum, initially, has taken advantage of our digitisation of large numbers of slides in order to improve access to and knowledge concerning its hidden archives of slides; to improve, rethink or develop cataloguing practices; and to find innovative ways to bring lantern slides before the general public. As a consequence of our research, several exhibitions and public events at RAMM have now made use of magic lantern slides; we are now beginning to see the same process taking hold in other collections.
Finally, artists and performers have already made use of our discoveries by developing creative re-use projects based on our digitised slides. These have included the redevelopment of a modern peepshow, the creation of a new theatrical show, 'Magic and the Muse', and a multi-media evening celebrating the 150th anniversary of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. We have every reason to believe that this creative work, which has proven significant for the artists involved, will continue.
Sectors Creative Economy

Education

Leisure Activities

including Sports

Recreation and Tourism

Culture

Heritage

Museums and Collections

URL http://a-million-pictures.wp.hum.uu.nl/
 
Description The chief impacts at present, are as follows: • Enhancing the research capacity, knowledge and skills of public organisations: A key impact of 'A Million Pictures'. Alongside European partners, the UK project has contributed to formation of new standards for pan-European digitisation and cataloging of lantern slides. Working within museums and other public collections, we have also provided high quality images and metadata, alongside broader knowledge concerning the use and value of magic lantern slides. Lantern slides are most often uncatalogued, poorly understood, and frequently hidden aspects of many public collections: digitisation massively enhances research capacity, and our work within collections and with staff increases their knowledge and skills in relation to cataloguing, processing and re-using these invaluable repositories. • Changing organisational culture and practices: At the RAM Museum, the first collection to be completed, this has become most evident in the re-use of lantern resources in digital format. In addition to project-sponsored engagement, several components of the lantern slide collections have now been re-used by the Museum itself in the course of its own exhibitions and events. In short, the project has allowed them to access and re-use their own collections across a broad spectrum of activities, from a landscape exhibition to a children's Halloween show. We have shaped museological practice by helping organisations to share their collections. • Enhancing cultural enrichment: creating access to unknown pictorial resources, and sponsoring digital and 'live' creative re-use of these, the project makes a massive library of images available to a broad public via Lucerna, and has stimulated cultural enrichment events within regional collections. • Increasing public engagement with research and related societal issues: through assorted media, including the project's own website and newsletters, and through project sponsored public events in several countries, we have increased public awareness and understanding of both the magic lantern as a medium, and of the range of subjects it is capable of presenting. In addition, the Lucerna Magic Lantern Web Resource has enabled an international general public to access information and images relevant for those interested in aspects of media history, popular science, art history, local history, and family history. • Creation of a Community Interest Company, with a chair and board dedicated to the sustainability of the Lucerna Magic Lantern web resource.
First Year Of Impact 2015
Sector Creative Economy,Education,Leisure Activities, including Sports, Recreation and Tourism,Culture, Heritage, Museums and Collections
Impact Types Cultural

Societal

Economic

Policy & public services

 
Description Influence on museological policies concerning magic lantern resources
Geographic Reach Europe 
Policy Influence Type Membership of a guideline committee
Impact As members of the project's committees on digitisation, cataloguing and standardisation, the project team has had an impact on the accessability, cataloguing, and re-use of magic lantern slide materials within publicly held collections. The project has already enhanced the research capacity, knowledge and skills of public organisations; it has enhanced cultural enrichment; and increased public engagement with research and related societal issues. It has therefore impacted directly on local institutions and professional practitioners within them, by changing their attitudes towards and usage of their own collections.
 
Description Departmental impact award
Amount £1,500 (GBP)
Organisation University of Exeter 
Sector Academic/University
Country United Kingdom
Start 03/2016 
End 06/2016
 
Description Discovery in Australia award / ARC research project
Amount $10,819 (AUD)
Funding ID DP160102509 
Organisation Australian Research Council 
Sector Public
Country Australia
Start 01/2017 
End 12/2018
 
Title Development of standard practices for digitisation and cataloguing of lantern slides 
Description Lantern slide collections have been subject to very diverse practices of cataloguing and digitisation in different collections across Europe. This project has already developed common standards for photographic reproduction of lantern slides, as well as determining the most relevant metadata to include for for such materials. These have been developed during the first three workshops, refined within the collections in the months since, and will be revisited in the fourth workshop in january 2017. These decisions have been reflected in the development of Lucerna, an online open access database, which is now the most important tool for anyone wishing to research magic lantern materials, worldwide. 
Type Of Material Improvements to research infrastructure 
Year Produced 2008 
Provided To Others? Yes  
Impact The provision of digitised slides in conjunction with metadata provided by researchers has enabled Museums to access and re-use these materials for the first time. In the case of the RAM Museum in Exeter, it has inaugurated a discussion concerning cataloguing practices within the Museum itself, and has generated several new projects within the Museum making some use of magic lantern slides. In addition, the availability of Lucerna to the general public has had a more diverse and international impact on professional and amateur researchers of all kinds. 
URL http://www.slides.uni-trier.de/
 
Title LUCERNA - The Magic Lantern Web Resource 
Description LUCERNA is an online resource on the magic lantern, an early slide projector invented in the 17th century. It includes details of slide sets, slide images, readings and other texts related to slide sets, lantern hardware, people and organisations involved in lantern history, and any other related detail associated with magic lantern production and use. Currently hosted by the University of Trier, the database is a product of several Universities, including the University of Exeter and other project partners. Though the database first appeared in 2008, it is only with the advent of 'A Million Pictures', that it has been possible to consult stakeholders, adapt the database, and expand dramatically. 
Type Of Material Database/Collection of data 
Year Produced 2008 
Provided To Others? Yes  
Impact - Increasing public engagement with research: A Million Pictures has consulted with academic, museum professional, and general public stakeholders with a view to refining both the data entry methods and the standardisation of slide reproduction and metadata categories on Lucerna. This has resulted in the adaptation of Lucerna into a more usable format, both for scholars wishing to upload information internationally, and for researchers of all kinds wishing to learn more information concerning the lantern and related historical issues. For example, we have experimented with provision of multi-language data-entry, with a view to securing funding for a large-scale translation project utilising the existing dataset. - Cultural enrichment: thus far, project partners have uploaded approximately 11,000 slide images and associated metadata to the project database, with 10,000 more images captured and awaiting processing. The bulk of these (95%) have been processed by the UK team. This represents a substantial increase in the database's coverage, especially with regard to educational and geographical material related to British museums and other collections. As a consequence, Lucerna is seeing increased traffic from researchers of all kinds, assisting in numerous independent projects and raising public awareness of the magic lantern. - Enhancing the research capacity, knowledge and skills of public organisations: Lucerna has provided a template for museums and other collections seeking to digitise slide materials and provide contextual metadata for cataloguing and exhibition purposes. The images and data held on Lucerna are searchable by collection, meaning that the RAM Museum, for example, now has access to its own digital archive online, along with existing metadata. In addition, they have been provided with their own higher quality images and their own copy of the metadata generated. This has significantly raised the profile of the Museum's own collections: these images were previously buried in the archive; now they are fully accessible and have been used for presentations, exhibitions (forthcoming) and events, as well as by scholars seeking to include illustrations within their publications. - The Million Pictures project has enabled the consolidation and increased sustainability of Lucerna by developing its own management Board as part of a new Community Interest Company, established in January 2017. 
URL http://www.slides.uni-trier.de/
 
Description Associated Partnerships with British museums and archives 
Organisation Chetham's Library
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Public 
PI Contribution The Royal Albert Memorial Museum (RAMM), Manchester Museum, and Royal Geographical Society (RGS) are named Associate Partners of the project. Chetham's Library, Manchester and Ilfracombe Museum are partners that we have begun working with in the course of the project, with substantial programmes of lantern slide digitisation in operation. In the Edinburgh Museum of Childhood and the Devon and Exeter Institution, project members have worked in an informal consultancy role advising these institutions on preservation and best practices in relation to their lantern slide collections. At the Royal Institution, we have hosted a workshop open to the general public, highlighting the connections between the magic lantern and popular science, and especially highlighting the collections at the RI itself. At Torquay Museum, we have provided consultancy and partnership on a forthcoming grant application concerning digitisation of lantern slides to the National Archives fund. In each of these individual collaborations, the UK-based team has been directly responsible for working with each of these owners of magic lantern slide collections, within the broad parameters of the pan-European project. In most of these collections, the project is digitising large numbers of slides to be made accessible to the public via an Open Access digital database called 'Lucerna.' This is vital in the UK, where hundreds of local collections exist in Museums and Libraries, ranging from a few hundred slides to over a hundred thousand in each, almost all uncatalogued, inaccessible, and misunderstood. The UK project is working in a representative sample of these institutions in order to (1) allow these local collections to access their slides and exhibit them to the public, both during and after the project, and (2) provide a case study which can be applied across the UK (and internationally), demonstrating to a full range of collections the immense, unexploited value of the pictorial resources locked up in unseen lantern slide collections. Contributions related to digitisation of slides thus far as as follows: - RAMM: Image capture and data entry for approximately 4,500 slides; provision of high quality images and metadata directly to the RAMM. As a consequence of this, there is now a track record of amateur and professional scholars accessing images through lucerna, then requesting higher quality images from the RAMM itself for use in publications and presentations. - Manchester Museum: Image capture of approximately 10,000 slides; input to Lucerna and full data entry of 7000 of these. - Royal Geographical Society: Image capture of 1,000 slides as permitted contractually in collaboration with the RGS; provision of high quality images and metadata directly to the RGS; input to Lucerna and full data entry. - Chetham's Library: Image capture of approximately 2000 slides; input to Lucerna and full data entry for approximately 1,200 of these. - Ilfracombe Museum: Image capture of approximately 2000 slides; input to Lucerna and full data entry for all of these. In addition, the project has almost completed the process of defining standardized vocabulary and working procedures for lantern slides, intended to create world-wide standards according to which any collection might begin to assess and catalogue its own materials effectively. All partners listed above have benefited from the knowledge and skills generated by the project. UK-based project team members have been at the centre of this process, partly in relation to the development of new routines and taxonomic practices on the Lucerna database, and partly by attendance at international workshops including the 'Lucerna Hackathon' hosted at the University of Brighton in October 2016, in which crucial decisions were made about the standards for digitisation and cataloguing to be made by the project as whole. Equally crucial to the UK team collaboration with Museums and other collections has been the provision of public engagement events making use of magic lantern slides. These have been most extensive at the RAMM, where the project began its digitisation work, and where four project talks and entertainments have now been given by the UK team. Furthermore, the RAMM hosted the final international workshop of Million Pictures, with open public access at most sessions. In addition a series of other events have now taken place within the RAMM independently of the project that have included the lantern slide images created by the project. By way of illustration of the diversity of these uses, these have included: a Halloween show intended for children; a musical event featuring slide projections; a new exhibition on landscape imagery, including the projection of relevant slides digitised by the project. In short, the RAMM is an excellent case study of the diversity of uses to which this resource can be put. In addition to these public engagement events, others have been staged at the Royal Geographical Society (an illustrated talk and workshop for members and the public) and the Royal Institution in London (a general public all day workshop and an evening lantern show on 17th March 2017), each featuring UK project members and collaborators.
Collaborator Contribution - RAMM: provision of access to lantern slides; space to conduct digitisation; office space for work on project database; provision of staff time; provision of spaces for public presentations and relevant publicity for these events; contribution of research paper to the first, second, and fourth project workshops; increasing independent re-use projects featuring material digitised by the project; provision of space, staffing, and equipment for free for the fourth international workshop of Million Pictures. - Manchester Museum: provision of access to lantern slides; space to conduct digitisation; office space for work on project database; provision of staff time. - RGS: provision of access to lantern slides; space to conduct digitisation; office space for work on project database;provision of staff time; provision of space for public presentation and relevant publicity for this event. - Chetham's Library: provision of access to lantern slides; space to conduct digitisation; office space for work on project database; provision of staff time - Ilfracombe Museum: provision of access to lantern slides; space to conduct digitisation; office space for work on project database; provision of staff time. - Royal Institution: provision of access to lantern slides; part sponsorship of lantern show as part of the 'Magic Lantern and Science' workshop on 17 March 2017. - Torquay Museum: provision of access to lantern slides; provision of staff time.
Impact - Uploading of details of approximately 4,500 slides from the RAMM to open access Lucerna database, , alongside contextual research. - Provision of a full set of digitised images to the RAMM along with metadata. - Digital capture of a further 10,000 slides from other collections, most uploaded to the Lucerna database, alongside contextual research. - Participation in first, second, and fourth project workshops, including provision of six research papers. - Four public engagement events hosted at the RAMM: including public events and an event for children. - Further major public engagement events taking place at the RGS and the RI. - Creation of work-in-progress definitions for standards of slide digitisation and cataloguing. - Forthcoming publication (paper solicited for an edited volume for NYU Press) of an article concerning nature of lantern slides found in public collections in the UK. - Grant application to National Archives fund with Torquay Museum
Start Year 2015
 
Description Associated Partnerships with British museums and archives 
Organisation Ilfracombe Museum
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Private 
PI Contribution The Royal Albert Memorial Museum (RAMM), Manchester Museum, and Royal Geographical Society (RGS) are named Associate Partners of the project. Chetham's Library, Manchester and Ilfracombe Museum are partners that we have begun working with in the course of the project, with substantial programmes of lantern slide digitisation in operation. In the Edinburgh Museum of Childhood and the Devon and Exeter Institution, project members have worked in an informal consultancy role advising these institutions on preservation and best practices in relation to their lantern slide collections. At the Royal Institution, we have hosted a workshop open to the general public, highlighting the connections between the magic lantern and popular science, and especially highlighting the collections at the RI itself. At Torquay Museum, we have provided consultancy and partnership on a forthcoming grant application concerning digitisation of lantern slides to the National Archives fund. In each of these individual collaborations, the UK-based team has been directly responsible for working with each of these owners of magic lantern slide collections, within the broad parameters of the pan-European project. In most of these collections, the project is digitising large numbers of slides to be made accessible to the public via an Open Access digital database called 'Lucerna.' This is vital in the UK, where hundreds of local collections exist in Museums and Libraries, ranging from a few hundred slides to over a hundred thousand in each, almost all uncatalogued, inaccessible, and misunderstood. The UK project is working in a representative sample of these institutions in order to (1) allow these local collections to access their slides and exhibit them to the public, both during and after the project, and (2) provide a case study which can be applied across the UK (and internationally), demonstrating to a full range of collections the immense, unexploited value of the pictorial resources locked up in unseen lantern slide collections. Contributions related to digitisation of slides thus far as as follows: - RAMM: Image capture and data entry for approximately 4,500 slides; provision of high quality images and metadata directly to the RAMM. As a consequence of this, there is now a track record of amateur and professional scholars accessing images through lucerna, then requesting higher quality images from the RAMM itself for use in publications and presentations. - Manchester Museum: Image capture of approximately 10,000 slides; input to Lucerna and full data entry of 7000 of these. - Royal Geographical Society: Image capture of 1,000 slides as permitted contractually in collaboration with the RGS; provision of high quality images and metadata directly to the RGS; input to Lucerna and full data entry. - Chetham's Library: Image capture of approximately 2000 slides; input to Lucerna and full data entry for approximately 1,200 of these. - Ilfracombe Museum: Image capture of approximately 2000 slides; input to Lucerna and full data entry for all of these. In addition, the project has almost completed the process of defining standardized vocabulary and working procedures for lantern slides, intended to create world-wide standards according to which any collection might begin to assess and catalogue its own materials effectively. All partners listed above have benefited from the knowledge and skills generated by the project. UK-based project team members have been at the centre of this process, partly in relation to the development of new routines and taxonomic practices on the Lucerna database, and partly by attendance at international workshops including the 'Lucerna Hackathon' hosted at the University of Brighton in October 2016, in which crucial decisions were made about the standards for digitisation and cataloguing to be made by the project as whole. Equally crucial to the UK team collaboration with Museums and other collections has been the provision of public engagement events making use of magic lantern slides. These have been most extensive at the RAMM, where the project began its digitisation work, and where four project talks and entertainments have now been given by the UK team. Furthermore, the RAMM hosted the final international workshop of Million Pictures, with open public access at most sessions. In addition a series of other events have now taken place within the RAMM independently of the project that have included the lantern slide images created by the project. By way of illustration of the diversity of these uses, these have included: a Halloween show intended for children; a musical event featuring slide projections; a new exhibition on landscape imagery, including the projection of relevant slides digitised by the project. In short, the RAMM is an excellent case study of the diversity of uses to which this resource can be put. In addition to these public engagement events, others have been staged at the Royal Geographical Society (an illustrated talk and workshop for members and the public) and the Royal Institution in London (a general public all day workshop and an evening lantern show on 17th March 2017), each featuring UK project members and collaborators.
Collaborator Contribution - RAMM: provision of access to lantern slides; space to conduct digitisation; office space for work on project database; provision of staff time; provision of spaces for public presentations and relevant publicity for these events; contribution of research paper to the first, second, and fourth project workshops; increasing independent re-use projects featuring material digitised by the project; provision of space, staffing, and equipment for free for the fourth international workshop of Million Pictures. - Manchester Museum: provision of access to lantern slides; space to conduct digitisation; office space for work on project database; provision of staff time. - RGS: provision of access to lantern slides; space to conduct digitisation; office space for work on project database;provision of staff time; provision of space for public presentation and relevant publicity for this event. - Chetham's Library: provision of access to lantern slides; space to conduct digitisation; office space for work on project database; provision of staff time - Ilfracombe Museum: provision of access to lantern slides; space to conduct digitisation; office space for work on project database; provision of staff time. - Royal Institution: provision of access to lantern slides; part sponsorship of lantern show as part of the 'Magic Lantern and Science' workshop on 17 March 2017. - Torquay Museum: provision of access to lantern slides; provision of staff time.
Impact - Uploading of details of approximately 4,500 slides from the RAMM to open access Lucerna database, , alongside contextual research. - Provision of a full set of digitised images to the RAMM along with metadata. - Digital capture of a further 10,000 slides from other collections, most uploaded to the Lucerna database, alongside contextual research. - Participation in first, second, and fourth project workshops, including provision of six research papers. - Four public engagement events hosted at the RAMM: including public events and an event for children. - Further major public engagement events taking place at the RGS and the RI. - Creation of work-in-progress definitions for standards of slide digitisation and cataloguing. - Forthcoming publication (paper solicited for an edited volume for NYU Press) of an article concerning nature of lantern slides found in public collections in the UK. - Grant application to National Archives fund with Torquay Museum
Start Year 2015
 
Description Associated Partnerships with British museums and archives 
Organisation Museum of Childhood
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Charity/Non Profit 
PI Contribution The Royal Albert Memorial Museum (RAMM), Manchester Museum, and Royal Geographical Society (RGS) are named Associate Partners of the project. Chetham's Library, Manchester and Ilfracombe Museum are partners that we have begun working with in the course of the project, with substantial programmes of lantern slide digitisation in operation. In the Edinburgh Museum of Childhood and the Devon and Exeter Institution, project members have worked in an informal consultancy role advising these institutions on preservation and best practices in relation to their lantern slide collections. At the Royal Institution, we have hosted a workshop open to the general public, highlighting the connections between the magic lantern and popular science, and especially highlighting the collections at the RI itself. At Torquay Museum, we have provided consultancy and partnership on a forthcoming grant application concerning digitisation of lantern slides to the National Archives fund. In each of these individual collaborations, the UK-based team has been directly responsible for working with each of these owners of magic lantern slide collections, within the broad parameters of the pan-European project. In most of these collections, the project is digitising large numbers of slides to be made accessible to the public via an Open Access digital database called 'Lucerna.' This is vital in the UK, where hundreds of local collections exist in Museums and Libraries, ranging from a few hundred slides to over a hundred thousand in each, almost all uncatalogued, inaccessible, and misunderstood. The UK project is working in a representative sample of these institutions in order to (1) allow these local collections to access their slides and exhibit them to the public, both during and after the project, and (2) provide a case study which can be applied across the UK (and internationally), demonstrating to a full range of collections the immense, unexploited value of the pictorial resources locked up in unseen lantern slide collections. Contributions related to digitisation of slides thus far as as follows: - RAMM: Image capture and data entry for approximately 4,500 slides; provision of high quality images and metadata directly to the RAMM. As a consequence of this, there is now a track record of amateur and professional scholars accessing images through lucerna, then requesting higher quality images from the RAMM itself for use in publications and presentations. - Manchester Museum: Image capture of approximately 10,000 slides; input to Lucerna and full data entry of 7000 of these. - Royal Geographical Society: Image capture of 1,000 slides as permitted contractually in collaboration with the RGS; provision of high quality images and metadata directly to the RGS; input to Lucerna and full data entry. - Chetham's Library: Image capture of approximately 2000 slides; input to Lucerna and full data entry for approximately 1,200 of these. - Ilfracombe Museum: Image capture of approximately 2000 slides; input to Lucerna and full data entry for all of these. In addition, the project has almost completed the process of defining standardized vocabulary and working procedures for lantern slides, intended to create world-wide standards according to which any collection might begin to assess and catalogue its own materials effectively. All partners listed above have benefited from the knowledge and skills generated by the project. UK-based project team members have been at the centre of this process, partly in relation to the development of new routines and taxonomic practices on the Lucerna database, and partly by attendance at international workshops including the 'Lucerna Hackathon' hosted at the University of Brighton in October 2016, in which crucial decisions were made about the standards for digitisation and cataloguing to be made by the project as whole. Equally crucial to the UK team collaboration with Museums and other collections has been the provision of public engagement events making use of magic lantern slides. These have been most extensive at the RAMM, where the project began its digitisation work, and where four project talks and entertainments have now been given by the UK team. Furthermore, the RAMM hosted the final international workshop of Million Pictures, with open public access at most sessions. In addition a series of other events have now taken place within the RAMM independently of the project that have included the lantern slide images created by the project. By way of illustration of the diversity of these uses, these have included: a Halloween show intended for children; a musical event featuring slide projections; a new exhibition on landscape imagery, including the projection of relevant slides digitised by the project. In short, the RAMM is an excellent case study of the diversity of uses to which this resource can be put. In addition to these public engagement events, others have been staged at the Royal Geographical Society (an illustrated talk and workshop for members and the public) and the Royal Institution in London (a general public all day workshop and an evening lantern show on 17th March 2017), each featuring UK project members and collaborators.
Collaborator Contribution - RAMM: provision of access to lantern slides; space to conduct digitisation; office space for work on project database; provision of staff time; provision of spaces for public presentations and relevant publicity for these events; contribution of research paper to the first, second, and fourth project workshops; increasing independent re-use projects featuring material digitised by the project; provision of space, staffing, and equipment for free for the fourth international workshop of Million Pictures. - Manchester Museum: provision of access to lantern slides; space to conduct digitisation; office space for work on project database; provision of staff time. - RGS: provision of access to lantern slides; space to conduct digitisation; office space for work on project database;provision of staff time; provision of space for public presentation and relevant publicity for this event. - Chetham's Library: provision of access to lantern slides; space to conduct digitisation; office space for work on project database; provision of staff time - Ilfracombe Museum: provision of access to lantern slides; space to conduct digitisation; office space for work on project database; provision of staff time. - Royal Institution: provision of access to lantern slides; part sponsorship of lantern show as part of the 'Magic Lantern and Science' workshop on 17 March 2017. - Torquay Museum: provision of access to lantern slides; provision of staff time.
Impact - Uploading of details of approximately 4,500 slides from the RAMM to open access Lucerna database, , alongside contextual research. - Provision of a full set of digitised images to the RAMM along with metadata. - Digital capture of a further 10,000 slides from other collections, most uploaded to the Lucerna database, alongside contextual research. - Participation in first, second, and fourth project workshops, including provision of six research papers. - Four public engagement events hosted at the RAMM: including public events and an event for children. - Further major public engagement events taking place at the RGS and the RI. - Creation of work-in-progress definitions for standards of slide digitisation and cataloguing. - Forthcoming publication (paper solicited for an edited volume for NYU Press) of an article concerning nature of lantern slides found in public collections in the UK. - Grant application to National Archives fund with Torquay Museum
Start Year 2015
 
Description Associated Partnerships with British museums and archives 
Organisation Royal Albert Memorial Museum
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Charity/Non Profit 
PI Contribution The Royal Albert Memorial Museum (RAMM), Manchester Museum, and Royal Geographical Society (RGS) are named Associate Partners of the project. Chetham's Library, Manchester and Ilfracombe Museum are partners that we have begun working with in the course of the project, with substantial programmes of lantern slide digitisation in operation. In the Edinburgh Museum of Childhood and the Devon and Exeter Institution, project members have worked in an informal consultancy role advising these institutions on preservation and best practices in relation to their lantern slide collections. At the Royal Institution, we have hosted a workshop open to the general public, highlighting the connections between the magic lantern and popular science, and especially highlighting the collections at the RI itself. At Torquay Museum, we have provided consultancy and partnership on a forthcoming grant application concerning digitisation of lantern slides to the National Archives fund. In each of these individual collaborations, the UK-based team has been directly responsible for working with each of these owners of magic lantern slide collections, within the broad parameters of the pan-European project. In most of these collections, the project is digitising large numbers of slides to be made accessible to the public via an Open Access digital database called 'Lucerna.' This is vital in the UK, where hundreds of local collections exist in Museums and Libraries, ranging from a few hundred slides to over a hundred thousand in each, almost all uncatalogued, inaccessible, and misunderstood. The UK project is working in a representative sample of these institutions in order to (1) allow these local collections to access their slides and exhibit them to the public, both during and after the project, and (2) provide a case study which can be applied across the UK (and internationally), demonstrating to a full range of collections the immense, unexploited value of the pictorial resources locked up in unseen lantern slide collections. Contributions related to digitisation of slides thus far as as follows: - RAMM: Image capture and data entry for approximately 4,500 slides; provision of high quality images and metadata directly to the RAMM. As a consequence of this, there is now a track record of amateur and professional scholars accessing images through lucerna, then requesting higher quality images from the RAMM itself for use in publications and presentations. - Manchester Museum: Image capture of approximately 10,000 slides; input to Lucerna and full data entry of 7000 of these. - Royal Geographical Society: Image capture of 1,000 slides as permitted contractually in collaboration with the RGS; provision of high quality images and metadata directly to the RGS; input to Lucerna and full data entry. - Chetham's Library: Image capture of approximately 2000 slides; input to Lucerna and full data entry for approximately 1,200 of these. - Ilfracombe Museum: Image capture of approximately 2000 slides; input to Lucerna and full data entry for all of these. In addition, the project has almost completed the process of defining standardized vocabulary and working procedures for lantern slides, intended to create world-wide standards according to which any collection might begin to assess and catalogue its own materials effectively. All partners listed above have benefited from the knowledge and skills generated by the project. UK-based project team members have been at the centre of this process, partly in relation to the development of new routines and taxonomic practices on the Lucerna database, and partly by attendance at international workshops including the 'Lucerna Hackathon' hosted at the University of Brighton in October 2016, in which crucial decisions were made about the standards for digitisation and cataloguing to be made by the project as whole. Equally crucial to the UK team collaboration with Museums and other collections has been the provision of public engagement events making use of magic lantern slides. These have been most extensive at the RAMM, where the project began its digitisation work, and where four project talks and entertainments have now been given by the UK team. Furthermore, the RAMM hosted the final international workshop of Million Pictures, with open public access at most sessions. In addition a series of other events have now taken place within the RAMM independently of the project that have included the lantern slide images created by the project. By way of illustration of the diversity of these uses, these have included: a Halloween show intended for children; a musical event featuring slide projections; a new exhibition on landscape imagery, including the projection of relevant slides digitised by the project. In short, the RAMM is an excellent case study of the diversity of uses to which this resource can be put. In addition to these public engagement events, others have been staged at the Royal Geographical Society (an illustrated talk and workshop for members and the public) and the Royal Institution in London (a general public all day workshop and an evening lantern show on 17th March 2017), each featuring UK project members and collaborators.
Collaborator Contribution - RAMM: provision of access to lantern slides; space to conduct digitisation; office space for work on project database; provision of staff time; provision of spaces for public presentations and relevant publicity for these events; contribution of research paper to the first, second, and fourth project workshops; increasing independent re-use projects featuring material digitised by the project; provision of space, staffing, and equipment for free for the fourth international workshop of Million Pictures. - Manchester Museum: provision of access to lantern slides; space to conduct digitisation; office space for work on project database; provision of staff time. - RGS: provision of access to lantern slides; space to conduct digitisation; office space for work on project database;provision of staff time; provision of space for public presentation and relevant publicity for this event. - Chetham's Library: provision of access to lantern slides; space to conduct digitisation; office space for work on project database; provision of staff time - Ilfracombe Museum: provision of access to lantern slides; space to conduct digitisation; office space for work on project database; provision of staff time. - Royal Institution: provision of access to lantern slides; part sponsorship of lantern show as part of the 'Magic Lantern and Science' workshop on 17 March 2017. - Torquay Museum: provision of access to lantern slides; provision of staff time.
Impact - Uploading of details of approximately 4,500 slides from the RAMM to open access Lucerna database, , alongside contextual research. - Provision of a full set of digitised images to the RAMM along with metadata. - Digital capture of a further 10,000 slides from other collections, most uploaded to the Lucerna database, alongside contextual research. - Participation in first, second, and fourth project workshops, including provision of six research papers. - Four public engagement events hosted at the RAMM: including public events and an event for children. - Further major public engagement events taking place at the RGS and the RI. - Creation of work-in-progress definitions for standards of slide digitisation and cataloguing. - Forthcoming publication (paper solicited for an edited volume for NYU Press) of an article concerning nature of lantern slides found in public collections in the UK. - Grant application to National Archives fund with Torquay Museum
Start Year 2015
 
Description Associated Partnerships with British museums and archives 
Organisation Royal Geographical Society
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Charity/Non Profit 
PI Contribution The Royal Albert Memorial Museum (RAMM), Manchester Museum, and Royal Geographical Society (RGS) are named Associate Partners of the project. Chetham's Library, Manchester and Ilfracombe Museum are partners that we have begun working with in the course of the project, with substantial programmes of lantern slide digitisation in operation. In the Edinburgh Museum of Childhood and the Devon and Exeter Institution, project members have worked in an informal consultancy role advising these institutions on preservation and best practices in relation to their lantern slide collections. At the Royal Institution, we have hosted a workshop open to the general public, highlighting the connections between the magic lantern and popular science, and especially highlighting the collections at the RI itself. At Torquay Museum, we have provided consultancy and partnership on a forthcoming grant application concerning digitisation of lantern slides to the National Archives fund. In each of these individual collaborations, the UK-based team has been directly responsible for working with each of these owners of magic lantern slide collections, within the broad parameters of the pan-European project. In most of these collections, the project is digitising large numbers of slides to be made accessible to the public via an Open Access digital database called 'Lucerna.' This is vital in the UK, where hundreds of local collections exist in Museums and Libraries, ranging from a few hundred slides to over a hundred thousand in each, almost all uncatalogued, inaccessible, and misunderstood. The UK project is working in a representative sample of these institutions in order to (1) allow these local collections to access their slides and exhibit them to the public, both during and after the project, and (2) provide a case study which can be applied across the UK (and internationally), demonstrating to a full range of collections the immense, unexploited value of the pictorial resources locked up in unseen lantern slide collections. Contributions related to digitisation of slides thus far as as follows: - RAMM: Image capture and data entry for approximately 4,500 slides; provision of high quality images and metadata directly to the RAMM. As a consequence of this, there is now a track record of amateur and professional scholars accessing images through lucerna, then requesting higher quality images from the RAMM itself for use in publications and presentations. - Manchester Museum: Image capture of approximately 10,000 slides; input to Lucerna and full data entry of 7000 of these. - Royal Geographical Society: Image capture of 1,000 slides as permitted contractually in collaboration with the RGS; provision of high quality images and metadata directly to the RGS; input to Lucerna and full data entry. - Chetham's Library: Image capture of approximately 2000 slides; input to Lucerna and full data entry for approximately 1,200 of these. - Ilfracombe Museum: Image capture of approximately 2000 slides; input to Lucerna and full data entry for all of these. In addition, the project has almost completed the process of defining standardized vocabulary and working procedures for lantern slides, intended to create world-wide standards according to which any collection might begin to assess and catalogue its own materials effectively. All partners listed above have benefited from the knowledge and skills generated by the project. UK-based project team members have been at the centre of this process, partly in relation to the development of new routines and taxonomic practices on the Lucerna database, and partly by attendance at international workshops including the 'Lucerna Hackathon' hosted at the University of Brighton in October 2016, in which crucial decisions were made about the standards for digitisation and cataloguing to be made by the project as whole. Equally crucial to the UK team collaboration with Museums and other collections has been the provision of public engagement events making use of magic lantern slides. These have been most extensive at the RAMM, where the project began its digitisation work, and where four project talks and entertainments have now been given by the UK team. Furthermore, the RAMM hosted the final international workshop of Million Pictures, with open public access at most sessions. In addition a series of other events have now taken place within the RAMM independently of the project that have included the lantern slide images created by the project. By way of illustration of the diversity of these uses, these have included: a Halloween show intended for children; a musical event featuring slide projections; a new exhibition on landscape imagery, including the projection of relevant slides digitised by the project. In short, the RAMM is an excellent case study of the diversity of uses to which this resource can be put. In addition to these public engagement events, others have been staged at the Royal Geographical Society (an illustrated talk and workshop for members and the public) and the Royal Institution in London (a general public all day workshop and an evening lantern show on 17th March 2017), each featuring UK project members and collaborators.
Collaborator Contribution - RAMM: provision of access to lantern slides; space to conduct digitisation; office space for work on project database; provision of staff time; provision of spaces for public presentations and relevant publicity for these events; contribution of research paper to the first, second, and fourth project workshops; increasing independent re-use projects featuring material digitised by the project; provision of space, staffing, and equipment for free for the fourth international workshop of Million Pictures. - Manchester Museum: provision of access to lantern slides; space to conduct digitisation; office space for work on project database; provision of staff time. - RGS: provision of access to lantern slides; space to conduct digitisation; office space for work on project database;provision of staff time; provision of space for public presentation and relevant publicity for this event. - Chetham's Library: provision of access to lantern slides; space to conduct digitisation; office space for work on project database; provision of staff time - Ilfracombe Museum: provision of access to lantern slides; space to conduct digitisation; office space for work on project database; provision of staff time. - Royal Institution: provision of access to lantern slides; part sponsorship of lantern show as part of the 'Magic Lantern and Science' workshop on 17 March 2017. - Torquay Museum: provision of access to lantern slides; provision of staff time.
Impact - Uploading of details of approximately 4,500 slides from the RAMM to open access Lucerna database, , alongside contextual research. - Provision of a full set of digitised images to the RAMM along with metadata. - Digital capture of a further 10,000 slides from other collections, most uploaded to the Lucerna database, alongside contextual research. - Participation in first, second, and fourth project workshops, including provision of six research papers. - Four public engagement events hosted at the RAMM: including public events and an event for children. - Further major public engagement events taking place at the RGS and the RI. - Creation of work-in-progress definitions for standards of slide digitisation and cataloguing. - Forthcoming publication (paper solicited for an edited volume for NYU Press) of an article concerning nature of lantern slides found in public collections in the UK. - Grant application to National Archives fund with Torquay Museum
Start Year 2015
 
Description Associated Partnerships with British museums and archives 
Organisation The Devon & Exeter Institution
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Charity/Non Profit 
PI Contribution The Royal Albert Memorial Museum (RAMM), Manchester Museum, and Royal Geographical Society (RGS) are named Associate Partners of the project. Chetham's Library, Manchester and Ilfracombe Museum are partners that we have begun working with in the course of the project, with substantial programmes of lantern slide digitisation in operation. In the Edinburgh Museum of Childhood and the Devon and Exeter Institution, project members have worked in an informal consultancy role advising these institutions on preservation and best practices in relation to their lantern slide collections. At the Royal Institution, we have hosted a workshop open to the general public, highlighting the connections between the magic lantern and popular science, and especially highlighting the collections at the RI itself. At Torquay Museum, we have provided consultancy and partnership on a forthcoming grant application concerning digitisation of lantern slides to the National Archives fund. In each of these individual collaborations, the UK-based team has been directly responsible for working with each of these owners of magic lantern slide collections, within the broad parameters of the pan-European project. In most of these collections, the project is digitising large numbers of slides to be made accessible to the public via an Open Access digital database called 'Lucerna.' This is vital in the UK, where hundreds of local collections exist in Museums and Libraries, ranging from a few hundred slides to over a hundred thousand in each, almost all uncatalogued, inaccessible, and misunderstood. The UK project is working in a representative sample of these institutions in order to (1) allow these local collections to access their slides and exhibit them to the public, both during and after the project, and (2) provide a case study which can be applied across the UK (and internationally), demonstrating to a full range of collections the immense, unexploited value of the pictorial resources locked up in unseen lantern slide collections. Contributions related to digitisation of slides thus far as as follows: - RAMM: Image capture and data entry for approximately 4,500 slides; provision of high quality images and metadata directly to the RAMM. As a consequence of this, there is now a track record of amateur and professional scholars accessing images through lucerna, then requesting higher quality images from the RAMM itself for use in publications and presentations. - Manchester Museum: Image capture of approximately 10,000 slides; input to Lucerna and full data entry of 7000 of these. - Royal Geographical Society: Image capture of 1,000 slides as permitted contractually in collaboration with the RGS; provision of high quality images and metadata directly to the RGS; input to Lucerna and full data entry. - Chetham's Library: Image capture of approximately 2000 slides; input to Lucerna and full data entry for approximately 1,200 of these. - Ilfracombe Museum: Image capture of approximately 2000 slides; input to Lucerna and full data entry for all of these. In addition, the project has almost completed the process of defining standardized vocabulary and working procedures for lantern slides, intended to create world-wide standards according to which any collection might begin to assess and catalogue its own materials effectively. All partners listed above have benefited from the knowledge and skills generated by the project. UK-based project team members have been at the centre of this process, partly in relation to the development of new routines and taxonomic practices on the Lucerna database, and partly by attendance at international workshops including the 'Lucerna Hackathon' hosted at the University of Brighton in October 2016, in which crucial decisions were made about the standards for digitisation and cataloguing to be made by the project as whole. Equally crucial to the UK team collaboration with Museums and other collections has been the provision of public engagement events making use of magic lantern slides. These have been most extensive at the RAMM, where the project began its digitisation work, and where four project talks and entertainments have now been given by the UK team. Furthermore, the RAMM hosted the final international workshop of Million Pictures, with open public access at most sessions. In addition a series of other events have now taken place within the RAMM independently of the project that have included the lantern slide images created by the project. By way of illustration of the diversity of these uses, these have included: a Halloween show intended for children; a musical event featuring slide projections; a new exhibition on landscape imagery, including the projection of relevant slides digitised by the project. In short, the RAMM is an excellent case study of the diversity of uses to which this resource can be put. In addition to these public engagement events, others have been staged at the Royal Geographical Society (an illustrated talk and workshop for members and the public) and the Royal Institution in London (a general public all day workshop and an evening lantern show on 17th March 2017), each featuring UK project members and collaborators.
Collaborator Contribution - RAMM: provision of access to lantern slides; space to conduct digitisation; office space for work on project database; provision of staff time; provision of spaces for public presentations and relevant publicity for these events; contribution of research paper to the first, second, and fourth project workshops; increasing independent re-use projects featuring material digitised by the project; provision of space, staffing, and equipment for free for the fourth international workshop of Million Pictures. - Manchester Museum: provision of access to lantern slides; space to conduct digitisation; office space for work on project database; provision of staff time. - RGS: provision of access to lantern slides; space to conduct digitisation; office space for work on project database;provision of staff time; provision of space for public presentation and relevant publicity for this event. - Chetham's Library: provision of access to lantern slides; space to conduct digitisation; office space for work on project database; provision of staff time - Ilfracombe Museum: provision of access to lantern slides; space to conduct digitisation; office space for work on project database; provision of staff time. - Royal Institution: provision of access to lantern slides; part sponsorship of lantern show as part of the 'Magic Lantern and Science' workshop on 17 March 2017. - Torquay Museum: provision of access to lantern slides; provision of staff time.
Impact - Uploading of details of approximately 4,500 slides from the RAMM to open access Lucerna database, , alongside contextual research. - Provision of a full set of digitised images to the RAMM along with metadata. - Digital capture of a further 10,000 slides from other collections, most uploaded to the Lucerna database, alongside contextual research. - Participation in first, second, and fourth project workshops, including provision of six research papers. - Four public engagement events hosted at the RAMM: including public events and an event for children. - Further major public engagement events taking place at the RGS and the RI. - Creation of work-in-progress definitions for standards of slide digitisation and cataloguing. - Forthcoming publication (paper solicited for an edited volume for NYU Press) of an article concerning nature of lantern slides found in public collections in the UK. - Grant application to National Archives fund with Torquay Museum
Start Year 2015
 
Description Associated Partnerships with British museums and archives 
Organisation The Royal Institution of Great Britain
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution The Royal Albert Memorial Museum (RAMM), Manchester Museum, and Royal Geographical Society (RGS) are named Associate Partners of the project. Chetham's Library, Manchester and Ilfracombe Museum are partners that we have begun working with in the course of the project, with substantial programmes of lantern slide digitisation in operation. In the Edinburgh Museum of Childhood and the Devon and Exeter Institution, project members have worked in an informal consultancy role advising these institutions on preservation and best practices in relation to their lantern slide collections. At the Royal Institution, we have hosted a workshop open to the general public, highlighting the connections between the magic lantern and popular science, and especially highlighting the collections at the RI itself. At Torquay Museum, we have provided consultancy and partnership on a forthcoming grant application concerning digitisation of lantern slides to the National Archives fund. In each of these individual collaborations, the UK-based team has been directly responsible for working with each of these owners of magic lantern slide collections, within the broad parameters of the pan-European project. In most of these collections, the project is digitising large numbers of slides to be made accessible to the public via an Open Access digital database called 'Lucerna.' This is vital in the UK, where hundreds of local collections exist in Museums and Libraries, ranging from a few hundred slides to over a hundred thousand in each, almost all uncatalogued, inaccessible, and misunderstood. The UK project is working in a representative sample of these institutions in order to (1) allow these local collections to access their slides and exhibit them to the public, both during and after the project, and (2) provide a case study which can be applied across the UK (and internationally), demonstrating to a full range of collections the immense, unexploited value of the pictorial resources locked up in unseen lantern slide collections. Contributions related to digitisation of slides thus far as as follows: - RAMM: Image capture and data entry for approximately 4,500 slides; provision of high quality images and metadata directly to the RAMM. As a consequence of this, there is now a track record of amateur and professional scholars accessing images through lucerna, then requesting higher quality images from the RAMM itself for use in publications and presentations. - Manchester Museum: Image capture of approximately 10,000 slides; input to Lucerna and full data entry of 7000 of these. - Royal Geographical Society: Image capture of 1,000 slides as permitted contractually in collaboration with the RGS; provision of high quality images and metadata directly to the RGS; input to Lucerna and full data entry. - Chetham's Library: Image capture of approximately 2000 slides; input to Lucerna and full data entry for approximately 1,200 of these. - Ilfracombe Museum: Image capture of approximately 2000 slides; input to Lucerna and full data entry for all of these. In addition, the project has almost completed the process of defining standardized vocabulary and working procedures for lantern slides, intended to create world-wide standards according to which any collection might begin to assess and catalogue its own materials effectively. All partners listed above have benefited from the knowledge and skills generated by the project. UK-based project team members have been at the centre of this process, partly in relation to the development of new routines and taxonomic practices on the Lucerna database, and partly by attendance at international workshops including the 'Lucerna Hackathon' hosted at the University of Brighton in October 2016, in which crucial decisions were made about the standards for digitisation and cataloguing to be made by the project as whole. Equally crucial to the UK team collaboration with Museums and other collections has been the provision of public engagement events making use of magic lantern slides. These have been most extensive at the RAMM, where the project began its digitisation work, and where four project talks and entertainments have now been given by the UK team. Furthermore, the RAMM hosted the final international workshop of Million Pictures, with open public access at most sessions. In addition a series of other events have now taken place within the RAMM independently of the project that have included the lantern slide images created by the project. By way of illustration of the diversity of these uses, these have included: a Halloween show intended for children; a musical event featuring slide projections; a new exhibition on landscape imagery, including the projection of relevant slides digitised by the project. In short, the RAMM is an excellent case study of the diversity of uses to which this resource can be put. In addition to these public engagement events, others have been staged at the Royal Geographical Society (an illustrated talk and workshop for members and the public) and the Royal Institution in London (a general public all day workshop and an evening lantern show on 17th March 2017), each featuring UK project members and collaborators.
Collaborator Contribution - RAMM: provision of access to lantern slides; space to conduct digitisation; office space for work on project database; provision of staff time; provision of spaces for public presentations and relevant publicity for these events; contribution of research paper to the first, second, and fourth project workshops; increasing independent re-use projects featuring material digitised by the project; provision of space, staffing, and equipment for free for the fourth international workshop of Million Pictures. - Manchester Museum: provision of access to lantern slides; space to conduct digitisation; office space for work on project database; provision of staff time. - RGS: provision of access to lantern slides; space to conduct digitisation; office space for work on project database;provision of staff time; provision of space for public presentation and relevant publicity for this event. - Chetham's Library: provision of access to lantern slides; space to conduct digitisation; office space for work on project database; provision of staff time - Ilfracombe Museum: provision of access to lantern slides; space to conduct digitisation; office space for work on project database; provision of staff time. - Royal Institution: provision of access to lantern slides; part sponsorship of lantern show as part of the 'Magic Lantern and Science' workshop on 17 March 2017. - Torquay Museum: provision of access to lantern slides; provision of staff time.
Impact - Uploading of details of approximately 4,500 slides from the RAMM to open access Lucerna database, , alongside contextual research. - Provision of a full set of digitised images to the RAMM along with metadata. - Digital capture of a further 10,000 slides from other collections, most uploaded to the Lucerna database, alongside contextual research. - Participation in first, second, and fourth project workshops, including provision of six research papers. - Four public engagement events hosted at the RAMM: including public events and an event for children. - Further major public engagement events taking place at the RGS and the RI. - Creation of work-in-progress definitions for standards of slide digitisation and cataloguing. - Forthcoming publication (paper solicited for an edited volume for NYU Press) of an article concerning nature of lantern slides found in public collections in the UK. - Grant application to National Archives fund with Torquay Museum
Start Year 2015
 
Description Associated Partnerships with British museums and archives 
Organisation Torquay Museum
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Charity/Non Profit 
PI Contribution The Royal Albert Memorial Museum (RAMM), Manchester Museum, and Royal Geographical Society (RGS) are named Associate Partners of the project. Chetham's Library, Manchester and Ilfracombe Museum are partners that we have begun working with in the course of the project, with substantial programmes of lantern slide digitisation in operation. In the Edinburgh Museum of Childhood and the Devon and Exeter Institution, project members have worked in an informal consultancy role advising these institutions on preservation and best practices in relation to their lantern slide collections. At the Royal Institution, we have hosted a workshop open to the general public, highlighting the connections between the magic lantern and popular science, and especially highlighting the collections at the RI itself. At Torquay Museum, we have provided consultancy and partnership on a forthcoming grant application concerning digitisation of lantern slides to the National Archives fund. In each of these individual collaborations, the UK-based team has been directly responsible for working with each of these owners of magic lantern slide collections, within the broad parameters of the pan-European project. In most of these collections, the project is digitising large numbers of slides to be made accessible to the public via an Open Access digital database called 'Lucerna.' This is vital in the UK, where hundreds of local collections exist in Museums and Libraries, ranging from a few hundred slides to over a hundred thousand in each, almost all uncatalogued, inaccessible, and misunderstood. The UK project is working in a representative sample of these institutions in order to (1) allow these local collections to access their slides and exhibit them to the public, both during and after the project, and (2) provide a case study which can be applied across the UK (and internationally), demonstrating to a full range of collections the immense, unexploited value of the pictorial resources locked up in unseen lantern slide collections. Contributions related to digitisation of slides thus far as as follows: - RAMM: Image capture and data entry for approximately 4,500 slides; provision of high quality images and metadata directly to the RAMM. As a consequence of this, there is now a track record of amateur and professional scholars accessing images through lucerna, then requesting higher quality images from the RAMM itself for use in publications and presentations. - Manchester Museum: Image capture of approximately 10,000 slides; input to Lucerna and full data entry of 7000 of these. - Royal Geographical Society: Image capture of 1,000 slides as permitted contractually in collaboration with the RGS; provision of high quality images and metadata directly to the RGS; input to Lucerna and full data entry. - Chetham's Library: Image capture of approximately 2000 slides; input to Lucerna and full data entry for approximately 1,200 of these. - Ilfracombe Museum: Image capture of approximately 2000 slides; input to Lucerna and full data entry for all of these. In addition, the project has almost completed the process of defining standardized vocabulary and working procedures for lantern slides, intended to create world-wide standards according to which any collection might begin to assess and catalogue its own materials effectively. All partners listed above have benefited from the knowledge and skills generated by the project. UK-based project team members have been at the centre of this process, partly in relation to the development of new routines and taxonomic practices on the Lucerna database, and partly by attendance at international workshops including the 'Lucerna Hackathon' hosted at the University of Brighton in October 2016, in which crucial decisions were made about the standards for digitisation and cataloguing to be made by the project as whole. Equally crucial to the UK team collaboration with Museums and other collections has been the provision of public engagement events making use of magic lantern slides. These have been most extensive at the RAMM, where the project began its digitisation work, and where four project talks and entertainments have now been given by the UK team. Furthermore, the RAMM hosted the final international workshop of Million Pictures, with open public access at most sessions. In addition a series of other events have now taken place within the RAMM independently of the project that have included the lantern slide images created by the project. By way of illustration of the diversity of these uses, these have included: a Halloween show intended for children; a musical event featuring slide projections; a new exhibition on landscape imagery, including the projection of relevant slides digitised by the project. In short, the RAMM is an excellent case study of the diversity of uses to which this resource can be put. In addition to these public engagement events, others have been staged at the Royal Geographical Society (an illustrated talk and workshop for members and the public) and the Royal Institution in London (a general public all day workshop and an evening lantern show on 17th March 2017), each featuring UK project members and collaborators.
Collaborator Contribution - RAMM: provision of access to lantern slides; space to conduct digitisation; office space for work on project database; provision of staff time; provision of spaces for public presentations and relevant publicity for these events; contribution of research paper to the first, second, and fourth project workshops; increasing independent re-use projects featuring material digitised by the project; provision of space, staffing, and equipment for free for the fourth international workshop of Million Pictures. - Manchester Museum: provision of access to lantern slides; space to conduct digitisation; office space for work on project database; provision of staff time. - RGS: provision of access to lantern slides; space to conduct digitisation; office space for work on project database;provision of staff time; provision of space for public presentation and relevant publicity for this event. - Chetham's Library: provision of access to lantern slides; space to conduct digitisation; office space for work on project database; provision of staff time - Ilfracombe Museum: provision of access to lantern slides; space to conduct digitisation; office space for work on project database; provision of staff time. - Royal Institution: provision of access to lantern slides; part sponsorship of lantern show as part of the 'Magic Lantern and Science' workshop on 17 March 2017. - Torquay Museum: provision of access to lantern slides; provision of staff time.
Impact - Uploading of details of approximately 4,500 slides from the RAMM to open access Lucerna database, , alongside contextual research. - Provision of a full set of digitised images to the RAMM along with metadata. - Digital capture of a further 10,000 slides from other collections, most uploaded to the Lucerna database, alongside contextual research. - Participation in first, second, and fourth project workshops, including provision of six research papers. - Four public engagement events hosted at the RAMM: including public events and an event for children. - Further major public engagement events taking place at the RGS and the RI. - Creation of work-in-progress definitions for standards of slide digitisation and cataloguing. - Forthcoming publication (paper solicited for an edited volume for NYU Press) of an article concerning nature of lantern slides found in public collections in the UK. - Grant application to National Archives fund with Torquay Museum
Start Year 2015
 
Description Associated Partnerships with British museums and archives 
Organisation University of Manchester
Department Manchester Museum
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution The Royal Albert Memorial Museum (RAMM), Manchester Museum, and Royal Geographical Society (RGS) are named Associate Partners of the project. Chetham's Library, Manchester and Ilfracombe Museum are partners that we have begun working with in the course of the project, with substantial programmes of lantern slide digitisation in operation. In the Edinburgh Museum of Childhood and the Devon and Exeter Institution, project members have worked in an informal consultancy role advising these institutions on preservation and best practices in relation to their lantern slide collections. At the Royal Institution, we have hosted a workshop open to the general public, highlighting the connections between the magic lantern and popular science, and especially highlighting the collections at the RI itself. At Torquay Museum, we have provided consultancy and partnership on a forthcoming grant application concerning digitisation of lantern slides to the National Archives fund. In each of these individual collaborations, the UK-based team has been directly responsible for working with each of these owners of magic lantern slide collections, within the broad parameters of the pan-European project. In most of these collections, the project is digitising large numbers of slides to be made accessible to the public via an Open Access digital database called 'Lucerna.' This is vital in the UK, where hundreds of local collections exist in Museums and Libraries, ranging from a few hundred slides to over a hundred thousand in each, almost all uncatalogued, inaccessible, and misunderstood. The UK project is working in a representative sample of these institutions in order to (1) allow these local collections to access their slides and exhibit them to the public, both during and after the project, and (2) provide a case study which can be applied across the UK (and internationally), demonstrating to a full range of collections the immense, unexploited value of the pictorial resources locked up in unseen lantern slide collections. Contributions related to digitisation of slides thus far as as follows: - RAMM: Image capture and data entry for approximately 4,500 slides; provision of high quality images and metadata directly to the RAMM. As a consequence of this, there is now a track record of amateur and professional scholars accessing images through lucerna, then requesting higher quality images from the RAMM itself for use in publications and presentations. - Manchester Museum: Image capture of approximately 10,000 slides; input to Lucerna and full data entry of 7000 of these. - Royal Geographical Society: Image capture of 1,000 slides as permitted contractually in collaboration with the RGS; provision of high quality images and metadata directly to the RGS; input to Lucerna and full data entry. - Chetham's Library: Image capture of approximately 2000 slides; input to Lucerna and full data entry for approximately 1,200 of these. - Ilfracombe Museum: Image capture of approximately 2000 slides; input to Lucerna and full data entry for all of these. In addition, the project has almost completed the process of defining standardized vocabulary and working procedures for lantern slides, intended to create world-wide standards according to which any collection might begin to assess and catalogue its own materials effectively. All partners listed above have benefited from the knowledge and skills generated by the project. UK-based project team members have been at the centre of this process, partly in relation to the development of new routines and taxonomic practices on the Lucerna database, and partly by attendance at international workshops including the 'Lucerna Hackathon' hosted at the University of Brighton in October 2016, in which crucial decisions were made about the standards for digitisation and cataloguing to be made by the project as whole. Equally crucial to the UK team collaboration with Museums and other collections has been the provision of public engagement events making use of magic lantern slides. These have been most extensive at the RAMM, where the project began its digitisation work, and where four project talks and entertainments have now been given by the UK team. Furthermore, the RAMM hosted the final international workshop of Million Pictures, with open public access at most sessions. In addition a series of other events have now taken place within the RAMM independently of the project that have included the lantern slide images created by the project. By way of illustration of the diversity of these uses, these have included: a Halloween show intended for children; a musical event featuring slide projections; a new exhibition on landscape imagery, including the projection of relevant slides digitised by the project. In short, the RAMM is an excellent case study of the diversity of uses to which this resource can be put. In addition to these public engagement events, others have been staged at the Royal Geographical Society (an illustrated talk and workshop for members and the public) and the Royal Institution in London (a general public all day workshop and an evening lantern show on 17th March 2017), each featuring UK project members and collaborators.
Collaborator Contribution - RAMM: provision of access to lantern slides; space to conduct digitisation; office space for work on project database; provision of staff time; provision of spaces for public presentations and relevant publicity for these events; contribution of research paper to the first, second, and fourth project workshops; increasing independent re-use projects featuring material digitised by the project; provision of space, staffing, and equipment for free for the fourth international workshop of Million Pictures. - Manchester Museum: provision of access to lantern slides; space to conduct digitisation; office space for work on project database; provision of staff time. - RGS: provision of access to lantern slides; space to conduct digitisation; office space for work on project database;provision of staff time; provision of space for public presentation and relevant publicity for this event. - Chetham's Library: provision of access to lantern slides; space to conduct digitisation; office space for work on project database; provision of staff time - Ilfracombe Museum: provision of access to lantern slides; space to conduct digitisation; office space for work on project database; provision of staff time. - Royal Institution: provision of access to lantern slides; part sponsorship of lantern show as part of the 'Magic Lantern and Science' workshop on 17 March 2017. - Torquay Museum: provision of access to lantern slides; provision of staff time.
Impact - Uploading of details of approximately 4,500 slides from the RAMM to open access Lucerna database, , alongside contextual research. - Provision of a full set of digitised images to the RAMM along with metadata. - Digital capture of a further 10,000 slides from other collections, most uploaded to the Lucerna database, alongside contextual research. - Participation in first, second, and fourth project workshops, including provision of six research papers. - Four public engagement events hosted at the RAMM: including public events and an event for children. - Further major public engagement events taking place at the RGS and the RI. - Creation of work-in-progress definitions for standards of slide digitisation and cataloguing. - Forthcoming publication (paper solicited for an edited volume for NYU Press) of an article concerning nature of lantern slides found in public collections in the UK. - Grant application to National Archives fund with Torquay Museum
Start Year 2015
 
Description Pan-European partnership for 'Million Pictures' project 
Organisation University of Antwerp
Country Belgium 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution The project partners for the JPI Heritage Project 'A Million Pictures', including the UK, are funded by Research Councils from each of the four respective countries, Netherlands, UK, Belgium, and Spain. The UK work package is entitled 'Learned Societies in Britain 1880-1914 and it has thus far contributed: - The exploration of five representative public collections of lantern slides in the archives of our Associate Partners and others Manchester Museum, the Royal Geographic Society in London, the Exeter Royal Albert Memorial Museum, Ilfracombe Museum, and Chethams Library, Manchester, with a specific focus on slide sets and associated materials derived from educational groups and learned societies during this period. - Large scale digitisation of lantern slides (approximately 18,000 thus far) and uploading to project open access database, the Lucerna Magic Lantern Web Resource (approximately 12,000). - Research paper contributions from UK PI, Professor Joe Kember, project researcher, Dr Richard Crangle, and Associate Partners, Tom Cadbury and Jenny Durrant, to the first, second, and third project workshops. - Membership and contributions to the following project 'working parties: "Best practices in digitization", "Metadata and Cataloguing", "Lucerna Hackathon" and "Scanning Catalogues". - Various outreach and public engagement activities (listed elsewhere) in the UK. Further details of public events organised by project partners are listed, here: http://a-million-pictures.wp.hum.uu.nl/category/agenda/local-activities/ - Organisation and co-hosting of the 'Magic lantern and Science' workshop, held at the Royal Institution, London, and featuring several project members.
Collaborator Contribution • Research Team Utrecht: 'Learning About the European Neighbours'. This research project has begun to analyse lantern slide sets about European countries in the collection of EYE Film Institute Netherlands and University Museum Utrecht as well as in various private collections. These slide sets, produced in different countries, will provide the starting point to investigate visual knowledge that circulated across Europe about other countries and people, including the question of national stereotyping. Outputs thus far have included digitisation of approximately 3000 lantern slides; hosting the first research workshop in September 2015; presenting academic papers and public presentations. • Research Team Antwerp: 'Popular Venues (Theatre, Opera Houses, Planetariums, Fairs).' The Antwerp research team has focused on the performative context of scientific and astronomical lantern shows in popular venues. The goal is to deepen the understanding of the cultural value of lantern shows in relation to changing ideas of theatricality, the adaptation of the lantern and its users to suit a certain venue, occasion and audience, and the complex struggle between didactic and aesthetic particularities. Outputs thus far have included presenting academic papers and public presentations. • Research Team Girona and Salamanca: 'Taxonomic Organization of the Artefact and Examples of its Benefits for Creative Re-use of Lantern Slide Heritage'. Generating knowledge about lantern slides as elements of cultural heritage has been problematic because slides have been classified in a dispersed manner across multiple host institutions, hindering comparative studies across institutions and disciplines. The Spanish team has begun to address these issues. They have also uploaded large numbers of slides from the Girona Film Museum to Lucerna. Further details of public events organised by project partners are listed, here: http://a-million-pictures.wp.hum.uu.nl/category/agenda/local-activities/
Impact Outputs of this collaboration include: • Website and regular newsletters to a wide community • Hiring of a wide range or project researchers internationally • Work with Associate Partners in terms of lantern slide digitisation and provision of public events and papers. • Definition of standards for the documentation and digitization of lantern slides agreed upon, based on expressed needs of stakeholders • Development and discussion of new and innovative forms of creative re-use for lantern slides • Digitisation of large numbers of lantern slides on Lucerna, internationally.
Start Year 2015
 
Description Pan-European partnership for 'Million Pictures' project 
Organisation University of Girona
Country Spain 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution The project partners for the JPI Heritage Project 'A Million Pictures', including the UK, are funded by Research Councils from each of the four respective countries, Netherlands, UK, Belgium, and Spain. The UK work package is entitled 'Learned Societies in Britain 1880-1914 and it has thus far contributed: - The exploration of five representative public collections of lantern slides in the archives of our Associate Partners and others Manchester Museum, the Royal Geographic Society in London, the Exeter Royal Albert Memorial Museum, Ilfracombe Museum, and Chethams Library, Manchester, with a specific focus on slide sets and associated materials derived from educational groups and learned societies during this period. - Large scale digitisation of lantern slides (approximately 18,000 thus far) and uploading to project open access database, the Lucerna Magic Lantern Web Resource (approximately 12,000). - Research paper contributions from UK PI, Professor Joe Kember, project researcher, Dr Richard Crangle, and Associate Partners, Tom Cadbury and Jenny Durrant, to the first, second, and third project workshops. - Membership and contributions to the following project 'working parties: "Best practices in digitization", "Metadata and Cataloguing", "Lucerna Hackathon" and "Scanning Catalogues". - Various outreach and public engagement activities (listed elsewhere) in the UK. Further details of public events organised by project partners are listed, here: http://a-million-pictures.wp.hum.uu.nl/category/agenda/local-activities/ - Organisation and co-hosting of the 'Magic lantern and Science' workshop, held at the Royal Institution, London, and featuring several project members.
Collaborator Contribution • Research Team Utrecht: 'Learning About the European Neighbours'. This research project has begun to analyse lantern slide sets about European countries in the collection of EYE Film Institute Netherlands and University Museum Utrecht as well as in various private collections. These slide sets, produced in different countries, will provide the starting point to investigate visual knowledge that circulated across Europe about other countries and people, including the question of national stereotyping. Outputs thus far have included digitisation of approximately 3000 lantern slides; hosting the first research workshop in September 2015; presenting academic papers and public presentations. • Research Team Antwerp: 'Popular Venues (Theatre, Opera Houses, Planetariums, Fairs).' The Antwerp research team has focused on the performative context of scientific and astronomical lantern shows in popular venues. The goal is to deepen the understanding of the cultural value of lantern shows in relation to changing ideas of theatricality, the adaptation of the lantern and its users to suit a certain venue, occasion and audience, and the complex struggle between didactic and aesthetic particularities. Outputs thus far have included presenting academic papers and public presentations. • Research Team Girona and Salamanca: 'Taxonomic Organization of the Artefact and Examples of its Benefits for Creative Re-use of Lantern Slide Heritage'. Generating knowledge about lantern slides as elements of cultural heritage has been problematic because slides have been classified in a dispersed manner across multiple host institutions, hindering comparative studies across institutions and disciplines. The Spanish team has begun to address these issues. They have also uploaded large numbers of slides from the Girona Film Museum to Lucerna. Further details of public events organised by project partners are listed, here: http://a-million-pictures.wp.hum.uu.nl/category/agenda/local-activities/
Impact Outputs of this collaboration include: • Website and regular newsletters to a wide community • Hiring of a wide range or project researchers internationally • Work with Associate Partners in terms of lantern slide digitisation and provision of public events and papers. • Definition of standards for the documentation and digitization of lantern slides agreed upon, based on expressed needs of stakeholders • Development and discussion of new and innovative forms of creative re-use for lantern slides • Digitisation of large numbers of lantern slides on Lucerna, internationally.
Start Year 2015
 
Description Pan-European partnership for 'Million Pictures' project 
Organisation University of Salamanca
Country Spain 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution The project partners for the JPI Heritage Project 'A Million Pictures', including the UK, are funded by Research Councils from each of the four respective countries, Netherlands, UK, Belgium, and Spain. The UK work package is entitled 'Learned Societies in Britain 1880-1914 and it has thus far contributed: - The exploration of five representative public collections of lantern slides in the archives of our Associate Partners and others Manchester Museum, the Royal Geographic Society in London, the Exeter Royal Albert Memorial Museum, Ilfracombe Museum, and Chethams Library, Manchester, with a specific focus on slide sets and associated materials derived from educational groups and learned societies during this period. - Large scale digitisation of lantern slides (approximately 18,000 thus far) and uploading to project open access database, the Lucerna Magic Lantern Web Resource (approximately 12,000). - Research paper contributions from UK PI, Professor Joe Kember, project researcher, Dr Richard Crangle, and Associate Partners, Tom Cadbury and Jenny Durrant, to the first, second, and third project workshops. - Membership and contributions to the following project 'working parties: "Best practices in digitization", "Metadata and Cataloguing", "Lucerna Hackathon" and "Scanning Catalogues". - Various outreach and public engagement activities (listed elsewhere) in the UK. Further details of public events organised by project partners are listed, here: http://a-million-pictures.wp.hum.uu.nl/category/agenda/local-activities/ - Organisation and co-hosting of the 'Magic lantern and Science' workshop, held at the Royal Institution, London, and featuring several project members.
Collaborator Contribution • Research Team Utrecht: 'Learning About the European Neighbours'. This research project has begun to analyse lantern slide sets about European countries in the collection of EYE Film Institute Netherlands and University Museum Utrecht as well as in various private collections. These slide sets, produced in different countries, will provide the starting point to investigate visual knowledge that circulated across Europe about other countries and people, including the question of national stereotyping. Outputs thus far have included digitisation of approximately 3000 lantern slides; hosting the first research workshop in September 2015; presenting academic papers and public presentations. • Research Team Antwerp: 'Popular Venues (Theatre, Opera Houses, Planetariums, Fairs).' The Antwerp research team has focused on the performative context of scientific and astronomical lantern shows in popular venues. The goal is to deepen the understanding of the cultural value of lantern shows in relation to changing ideas of theatricality, the adaptation of the lantern and its users to suit a certain venue, occasion and audience, and the complex struggle between didactic and aesthetic particularities. Outputs thus far have included presenting academic papers and public presentations. • Research Team Girona and Salamanca: 'Taxonomic Organization of the Artefact and Examples of its Benefits for Creative Re-use of Lantern Slide Heritage'. Generating knowledge about lantern slides as elements of cultural heritage has been problematic because slides have been classified in a dispersed manner across multiple host institutions, hindering comparative studies across institutions and disciplines. The Spanish team has begun to address these issues. They have also uploaded large numbers of slides from the Girona Film Museum to Lucerna. Further details of public events organised by project partners are listed, here: http://a-million-pictures.wp.hum.uu.nl/category/agenda/local-activities/
Impact Outputs of this collaboration include: • Website and regular newsletters to a wide community • Hiring of a wide range or project researchers internationally • Work with Associate Partners in terms of lantern slide digitisation and provision of public events and papers. • Definition of standards for the documentation and digitization of lantern slides agreed upon, based on expressed needs of stakeholders • Development and discussion of new and innovative forms of creative re-use for lantern slides • Digitisation of large numbers of lantern slides on Lucerna, internationally.
Start Year 2015
 
Description Pan-European partnership for 'Million Pictures' project 
Organisation Utrecht University
Country Netherlands 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution The project partners for the JPI Heritage Project 'A Million Pictures', including the UK, are funded by Research Councils from each of the four respective countries, Netherlands, UK, Belgium, and Spain. The UK work package is entitled 'Learned Societies in Britain 1880-1914 and it has thus far contributed: - The exploration of five representative public collections of lantern slides in the archives of our Associate Partners and others Manchester Museum, the Royal Geographic Society in London, the Exeter Royal Albert Memorial Museum, Ilfracombe Museum, and Chethams Library, Manchester, with a specific focus on slide sets and associated materials derived from educational groups and learned societies during this period. - Large scale digitisation of lantern slides (approximately 18,000 thus far) and uploading to project open access database, the Lucerna Magic Lantern Web Resource (approximately 12,000). - Research paper contributions from UK PI, Professor Joe Kember, project researcher, Dr Richard Crangle, and Associate Partners, Tom Cadbury and Jenny Durrant, to the first, second, and third project workshops. - Membership and contributions to the following project 'working parties: "Best practices in digitization", "Metadata and Cataloguing", "Lucerna Hackathon" and "Scanning Catalogues". - Various outreach and public engagement activities (listed elsewhere) in the UK. Further details of public events organised by project partners are listed, here: http://a-million-pictures.wp.hum.uu.nl/category/agenda/local-activities/ - Organisation and co-hosting of the 'Magic lantern and Science' workshop, held at the Royal Institution, London, and featuring several project members.
Collaborator Contribution • Research Team Utrecht: 'Learning About the European Neighbours'. This research project has begun to analyse lantern slide sets about European countries in the collection of EYE Film Institute Netherlands and University Museum Utrecht as well as in various private collections. These slide sets, produced in different countries, will provide the starting point to investigate visual knowledge that circulated across Europe about other countries and people, including the question of national stereotyping. Outputs thus far have included digitisation of approximately 3000 lantern slides; hosting the first research workshop in September 2015; presenting academic papers and public presentations. • Research Team Antwerp: 'Popular Venues (Theatre, Opera Houses, Planetariums, Fairs).' The Antwerp research team has focused on the performative context of scientific and astronomical lantern shows in popular venues. The goal is to deepen the understanding of the cultural value of lantern shows in relation to changing ideas of theatricality, the adaptation of the lantern and its users to suit a certain venue, occasion and audience, and the complex struggle between didactic and aesthetic particularities. Outputs thus far have included presenting academic papers and public presentations. • Research Team Girona and Salamanca: 'Taxonomic Organization of the Artefact and Examples of its Benefits for Creative Re-use of Lantern Slide Heritage'. Generating knowledge about lantern slides as elements of cultural heritage has been problematic because slides have been classified in a dispersed manner across multiple host institutions, hindering comparative studies across institutions and disciplines. The Spanish team has begun to address these issues. They have also uploaded large numbers of slides from the Girona Film Museum to Lucerna. Further details of public events organised by project partners are listed, here: http://a-million-pictures.wp.hum.uu.nl/category/agenda/local-activities/
Impact Outputs of this collaboration include: • Website and regular newsletters to a wide community • Hiring of a wide range or project researchers internationally • Work with Associate Partners in terms of lantern slide digitisation and provision of public events and papers. • Definition of standards for the documentation and digitization of lantern slides agreed upon, based on expressed needs of stakeholders • Development and discussion of new and innovative forms of creative re-use for lantern slides • Digitisation of large numbers of lantern slides on Lucerna, internationally.
Start Year 2015
 
Description Sponsorship and collaboration with subject associations and other community groups 
Organisation Dawlish and Teignmouth Camera Club
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Charity/Non Profit 
PI Contribution The chief collaboration between Million Pictures and a subject association has been with the Magic Lantern Society, the leading subject association on all matters related to the history and practice of optical projection. The Society has over 330 members worldwide (collectors, historians, and enthusiasts from all walks of life), most of whom are not university-affiliated scholars. The MLS runs a vibrant programme of discussion and performance and has a long association with the Lucerna Magic Lantern Web Resource, to which the Million Pictures project has already made an impressive contribution. The great expansion of Lucerna's online image bank enabled by the project has already transformed the MLS's understanding of the remarkable wealth of lantern slides held in public collections. In addition, Million Pictures funded key entertainments taking place at the Magic Lantern Society Convention 2017: the major evening event, 'Magic and the Muse' at Birmingham Crescent Theatre; the performance of Tony Lidington with his magic lantern peepshow, 'Lucky Dicky Crangle'; the performance of several Convention 'side-shows'. The Million Pictures project has also collaborated with the Magic Lantern Society on two more outcomes. The first of these took place on 17 March 2017 at the Royal Institution, London, where the Chair of the MLS gave an evening lantern performance based on the work of John Tyndall, open to the public and supported by the project as part of a workshop. In addition, on 11 January 2018, the Chair of the MLS gave a performance of the musical lantern show, 'Magic and the Muse' to a packed Barnfield Theatre, Exeter. The other local societies and subject associations listed above have all received public talks given by members of the UK project team based upon their knowledge of lantern slides, and digitisation of collections relevant in each case. Torquay Museum has also benefitted from a visit by Kember and the project post-doc in order to identify their slides, and to contribute to an 'Archives Revealed' grant application to the National Archives fund, which is currently under consideration with Kember as a full partner.
Collaborator Contribution The MLS is an amateur organisation hosting the bulk of the expertise concerning lantern slides in the UK: Million Pictures has already benefited from creating networks in which knowledge is discovered and shared. It has also benefited by drawing on the performance skills of individuals such as Jeremy Brooker, the current Chair of the Society. The other subject associations have contributed space in local venues, and the time of their staff and members.
Impact - Evening entertainment at the Barnfield Theatre, Exeter - Evening entertainment at the Magic Lantern and Science workshop hosted at the Royal Institution, London - Sponsorship and support from Million Pictures of several public entertainments hosted by the MLS at their International Convention. - Partnership in a new 'Archives Uncovered' grant to National Archives fund, made in collaboration with Torquay Museum. - Lectures, presentations, and entertainments given at all of the partners mentioned above.
Start Year 2015
 
Description Sponsorship and collaboration with subject associations and other community groups 
Organisation Devon History Society
Department Exmouth Historical and Archaeological Society
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Charity/Non Profit 
PI Contribution The chief collaboration between Million Pictures and a subject association has been with the Magic Lantern Society, the leading subject association on all matters related to the history and practice of optical projection. The Society has over 330 members worldwide (collectors, historians, and enthusiasts from all walks of life), most of whom are not university-affiliated scholars. The MLS runs a vibrant programme of discussion and performance and has a long association with the Lucerna Magic Lantern Web Resource, to which the Million Pictures project has already made an impressive contribution. The great expansion of Lucerna's online image bank enabled by the project has already transformed the MLS's understanding of the remarkable wealth of lantern slides held in public collections. In addition, Million Pictures funded key entertainments taking place at the Magic Lantern Society Convention 2017: the major evening event, 'Magic and the Muse' at Birmingham Crescent Theatre; the performance of Tony Lidington with his magic lantern peepshow, 'Lucky Dicky Crangle'; the performance of several Convention 'side-shows'. The Million Pictures project has also collaborated with the Magic Lantern Society on two more outcomes. The first of these took place on 17 March 2017 at the Royal Institution, London, where the Chair of the MLS gave an evening lantern performance based on the work of John Tyndall, open to the public and supported by the project as part of a workshop. In addition, on 11 January 2018, the Chair of the MLS gave a performance of the musical lantern show, 'Magic and the Muse' to a packed Barnfield Theatre, Exeter. The other local societies and subject associations listed above have all received public talks given by members of the UK project team based upon their knowledge of lantern slides, and digitisation of collections relevant in each case. Torquay Museum has also benefitted from a visit by Kember and the project post-doc in order to identify their slides, and to contribute to an 'Archives Revealed' grant application to the National Archives fund, which is currently under consideration with Kember as a full partner.
Collaborator Contribution The MLS is an amateur organisation hosting the bulk of the expertise concerning lantern slides in the UK: Million Pictures has already benefited from creating networks in which knowledge is discovered and shared. It has also benefited by drawing on the performance skills of individuals such as Jeremy Brooker, the current Chair of the Society. The other subject associations have contributed space in local venues, and the time of their staff and members.
Impact - Evening entertainment at the Barnfield Theatre, Exeter - Evening entertainment at the Magic Lantern and Science workshop hosted at the Royal Institution, London - Sponsorship and support from Million Pictures of several public entertainments hosted by the MLS at their International Convention. - Partnership in a new 'Archives Uncovered' grant to National Archives fund, made in collaboration with Torquay Museum. - Lectures, presentations, and entertainments given at all of the partners mentioned above.
Start Year 2015
 
Description Sponsorship and collaboration with subject associations and other community groups 
Organisation Devon History Society
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Charity/Non Profit 
PI Contribution The chief collaboration between Million Pictures and a subject association has been with the Magic Lantern Society, the leading subject association on all matters related to the history and practice of optical projection. The Society has over 330 members worldwide (collectors, historians, and enthusiasts from all walks of life), most of whom are not university-affiliated scholars. The MLS runs a vibrant programme of discussion and performance and has a long association with the Lucerna Magic Lantern Web Resource, to which the Million Pictures project has already made an impressive contribution. The great expansion of Lucerna's online image bank enabled by the project has already transformed the MLS's understanding of the remarkable wealth of lantern slides held in public collections. In addition, Million Pictures funded key entertainments taking place at the Magic Lantern Society Convention 2017: the major evening event, 'Magic and the Muse' at Birmingham Crescent Theatre; the performance of Tony Lidington with his magic lantern peepshow, 'Lucky Dicky Crangle'; the performance of several Convention 'side-shows'. The Million Pictures project has also collaborated with the Magic Lantern Society on two more outcomes. The first of these took place on 17 March 2017 at the Royal Institution, London, where the Chair of the MLS gave an evening lantern performance based on the work of John Tyndall, open to the public and supported by the project as part of a workshop. In addition, on 11 January 2018, the Chair of the MLS gave a performance of the musical lantern show, 'Magic and the Muse' to a packed Barnfield Theatre, Exeter. The other local societies and subject associations listed above have all received public talks given by members of the UK project team based upon their knowledge of lantern slides, and digitisation of collections relevant in each case. Torquay Museum has also benefitted from a visit by Kember and the project post-doc in order to identify their slides, and to contribute to an 'Archives Revealed' grant application to the National Archives fund, which is currently under consideration with Kember as a full partner.
Collaborator Contribution The MLS is an amateur organisation hosting the bulk of the expertise concerning lantern slides in the UK: Million Pictures has already benefited from creating networks in which knowledge is discovered and shared. It has also benefited by drawing on the performance skills of individuals such as Jeremy Brooker, the current Chair of the Society. The other subject associations have contributed space in local venues, and the time of their staff and members.
Impact - Evening entertainment at the Barnfield Theatre, Exeter - Evening entertainment at the Magic Lantern and Science workshop hosted at the Royal Institution, London - Sponsorship and support from Million Pictures of several public entertainments hosted by the MLS at their International Convention. - Partnership in a new 'Archives Uncovered' grant to National Archives fund, made in collaboration with Torquay Museum. - Lectures, presentations, and entertainments given at all of the partners mentioned above.
Start Year 2015
 
Description Sponsorship and collaboration with subject associations and other community groups 
Organisation Magic Lantern Society
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Charity/Non Profit 
PI Contribution The chief collaboration between Million Pictures and a subject association has been with the Magic Lantern Society, the leading subject association on all matters related to the history and practice of optical projection. The Society has over 330 members worldwide (collectors, historians, and enthusiasts from all walks of life), most of whom are not university-affiliated scholars. The MLS runs a vibrant programme of discussion and performance and has a long association with the Lucerna Magic Lantern Web Resource, to which the Million Pictures project has already made an impressive contribution. The great expansion of Lucerna's online image bank enabled by the project has already transformed the MLS's understanding of the remarkable wealth of lantern slides held in public collections. In addition, Million Pictures funded key entertainments taking place at the Magic Lantern Society Convention 2017: the major evening event, 'Magic and the Muse' at Birmingham Crescent Theatre; the performance of Tony Lidington with his magic lantern peepshow, 'Lucky Dicky Crangle'; the performance of several Convention 'side-shows'. The Million Pictures project has also collaborated with the Magic Lantern Society on two more outcomes. The first of these took place on 17 March 2017 at the Royal Institution, London, where the Chair of the MLS gave an evening lantern performance based on the work of John Tyndall, open to the public and supported by the project as part of a workshop. In addition, on 11 January 2018, the Chair of the MLS gave a performance of the musical lantern show, 'Magic and the Muse' to a packed Barnfield Theatre, Exeter. The other local societies and subject associations listed above have all received public talks given by members of the UK project team based upon their knowledge of lantern slides, and digitisation of collections relevant in each case. Torquay Museum has also benefitted from a visit by Kember and the project post-doc in order to identify their slides, and to contribute to an 'Archives Revealed' grant application to the National Archives fund, which is currently under consideration with Kember as a full partner.
Collaborator Contribution The MLS is an amateur organisation hosting the bulk of the expertise concerning lantern slides in the UK: Million Pictures has already benefited from creating networks in which knowledge is discovered and shared. It has also benefited by drawing on the performance skills of individuals such as Jeremy Brooker, the current Chair of the Society. The other subject associations have contributed space in local venues, and the time of their staff and members.
Impact - Evening entertainment at the Barnfield Theatre, Exeter - Evening entertainment at the Magic Lantern and Science workshop hosted at the Royal Institution, London - Sponsorship and support from Million Pictures of several public entertainments hosted by the MLS at their International Convention. - Partnership in a new 'Archives Uncovered' grant to National Archives fund, made in collaboration with Torquay Museum. - Lectures, presentations, and entertainments given at all of the partners mentioned above.
Start Year 2015
 
Description Sponsorship and collaboration with subject associations and other community groups 
Organisation Plym Valley Heritage
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Charity/Non Profit 
PI Contribution The chief collaboration between Million Pictures and a subject association has been with the Magic Lantern Society, the leading subject association on all matters related to the history and practice of optical projection. The Society has over 330 members worldwide (collectors, historians, and enthusiasts from all walks of life), most of whom are not university-affiliated scholars. The MLS runs a vibrant programme of discussion and performance and has a long association with the Lucerna Magic Lantern Web Resource, to which the Million Pictures project has already made an impressive contribution. The great expansion of Lucerna's online image bank enabled by the project has already transformed the MLS's understanding of the remarkable wealth of lantern slides held in public collections. In addition, Million Pictures funded key entertainments taking place at the Magic Lantern Society Convention 2017: the major evening event, 'Magic and the Muse' at Birmingham Crescent Theatre; the performance of Tony Lidington with his magic lantern peepshow, 'Lucky Dicky Crangle'; the performance of several Convention 'side-shows'. The Million Pictures project has also collaborated with the Magic Lantern Society on two more outcomes. The first of these took place on 17 March 2017 at the Royal Institution, London, where the Chair of the MLS gave an evening lantern performance based on the work of John Tyndall, open to the public and supported by the project as part of a workshop. In addition, on 11 January 2018, the Chair of the MLS gave a performance of the musical lantern show, 'Magic and the Muse' to a packed Barnfield Theatre, Exeter. The other local societies and subject associations listed above have all received public talks given by members of the UK project team based upon their knowledge of lantern slides, and digitisation of collections relevant in each case. Torquay Museum has also benefitted from a visit by Kember and the project post-doc in order to identify their slides, and to contribute to an 'Archives Revealed' grant application to the National Archives fund, which is currently under consideration with Kember as a full partner.
Collaborator Contribution The MLS is an amateur organisation hosting the bulk of the expertise concerning lantern slides in the UK: Million Pictures has already benefited from creating networks in which knowledge is discovered and shared. It has also benefited by drawing on the performance skills of individuals such as Jeremy Brooker, the current Chair of the Society. The other subject associations have contributed space in local venues, and the time of their staff and members.
Impact - Evening entertainment at the Barnfield Theatre, Exeter - Evening entertainment at the Magic Lantern and Science workshop hosted at the Royal Institution, London - Sponsorship and support from Million Pictures of several public entertainments hosted by the MLS at their International Convention. - Partnership in a new 'Archives Uncovered' grant to National Archives fund, made in collaboration with Torquay Museum. - Lectures, presentations, and entertainments given at all of the partners mentioned above.
Start Year 2015
 
Description Sponsorship and collaboration with subject associations and other community groups 
Organisation Thorverton and District History Society
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Charity/Non Profit 
PI Contribution The chief collaboration between Million Pictures and a subject association has been with the Magic Lantern Society, the leading subject association on all matters related to the history and practice of optical projection. The Society has over 330 members worldwide (collectors, historians, and enthusiasts from all walks of life), most of whom are not university-affiliated scholars. The MLS runs a vibrant programme of discussion and performance and has a long association with the Lucerna Magic Lantern Web Resource, to which the Million Pictures project has already made an impressive contribution. The great expansion of Lucerna's online image bank enabled by the project has already transformed the MLS's understanding of the remarkable wealth of lantern slides held in public collections. In addition, Million Pictures funded key entertainments taking place at the Magic Lantern Society Convention 2017: the major evening event, 'Magic and the Muse' at Birmingham Crescent Theatre; the performance of Tony Lidington with his magic lantern peepshow, 'Lucky Dicky Crangle'; the performance of several Convention 'side-shows'. The Million Pictures project has also collaborated with the Magic Lantern Society on two more outcomes. The first of these took place on 17 March 2017 at the Royal Institution, London, where the Chair of the MLS gave an evening lantern performance based on the work of John Tyndall, open to the public and supported by the project as part of a workshop. In addition, on 11 January 2018, the Chair of the MLS gave a performance of the musical lantern show, 'Magic and the Muse' to a packed Barnfield Theatre, Exeter. The other local societies and subject associations listed above have all received public talks given by members of the UK project team based upon their knowledge of lantern slides, and digitisation of collections relevant in each case. Torquay Museum has also benefitted from a visit by Kember and the project post-doc in order to identify their slides, and to contribute to an 'Archives Revealed' grant application to the National Archives fund, which is currently under consideration with Kember as a full partner.
Collaborator Contribution The MLS is an amateur organisation hosting the bulk of the expertise concerning lantern slides in the UK: Million Pictures has already benefited from creating networks in which knowledge is discovered and shared. It has also benefited by drawing on the performance skills of individuals such as Jeremy Brooker, the current Chair of the Society. The other subject associations have contributed space in local venues, and the time of their staff and members.
Impact - Evening entertainment at the Barnfield Theatre, Exeter - Evening entertainment at the Magic Lantern and Science workshop hosted at the Royal Institution, London - Sponsorship and support from Million Pictures of several public entertainments hosted by the MLS at their International Convention. - Partnership in a new 'Archives Uncovered' grant to National Archives fund, made in collaboration with Torquay Museum. - Lectures, presentations, and entertainments given at all of the partners mentioned above.
Start Year 2015
 
Description Sponsorship and collaboration with subject associations and other community groups 
Organisation Topsham Museum
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Charity/Non Profit 
PI Contribution The chief collaboration between Million Pictures and a subject association has been with the Magic Lantern Society, the leading subject association on all matters related to the history and practice of optical projection. The Society has over 330 members worldwide (collectors, historians, and enthusiasts from all walks of life), most of whom are not university-affiliated scholars. The MLS runs a vibrant programme of discussion and performance and has a long association with the Lucerna Magic Lantern Web Resource, to which the Million Pictures project has already made an impressive contribution. The great expansion of Lucerna's online image bank enabled by the project has already transformed the MLS's understanding of the remarkable wealth of lantern slides held in public collections. In addition, Million Pictures funded key entertainments taking place at the Magic Lantern Society Convention 2017: the major evening event, 'Magic and the Muse' at Birmingham Crescent Theatre; the performance of Tony Lidington with his magic lantern peepshow, 'Lucky Dicky Crangle'; the performance of several Convention 'side-shows'. The Million Pictures project has also collaborated with the Magic Lantern Society on two more outcomes. The first of these took place on 17 March 2017 at the Royal Institution, London, where the Chair of the MLS gave an evening lantern performance based on the work of John Tyndall, open to the public and supported by the project as part of a workshop. In addition, on 11 January 2018, the Chair of the MLS gave a performance of the musical lantern show, 'Magic and the Muse' to a packed Barnfield Theatre, Exeter. The other local societies and subject associations listed above have all received public talks given by members of the UK project team based upon their knowledge of lantern slides, and digitisation of collections relevant in each case. Torquay Museum has also benefitted from a visit by Kember and the project post-doc in order to identify their slides, and to contribute to an 'Archives Revealed' grant application to the National Archives fund, which is currently under consideration with Kember as a full partner.
Collaborator Contribution The MLS is an amateur organisation hosting the bulk of the expertise concerning lantern slides in the UK: Million Pictures has already benefited from creating networks in which knowledge is discovered and shared. It has also benefited by drawing on the performance skills of individuals such as Jeremy Brooker, the current Chair of the Society. The other subject associations have contributed space in local venues, and the time of their staff and members.
Impact - Evening entertainment at the Barnfield Theatre, Exeter - Evening entertainment at the Magic Lantern and Science workshop hosted at the Royal Institution, London - Sponsorship and support from Million Pictures of several public entertainments hosted by the MLS at their International Convention. - Partnership in a new 'Archives Uncovered' grant to National Archives fund, made in collaboration with Torquay Museum. - Lectures, presentations, and entertainments given at all of the partners mentioned above.
Start Year 2015
 
Description Sponsorship and collaboration with subject associations and other community groups 
Organisation Torquay Museum
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Charity/Non Profit 
PI Contribution The chief collaboration between Million Pictures and a subject association has been with the Magic Lantern Society, the leading subject association on all matters related to the history and practice of optical projection. The Society has over 330 members worldwide (collectors, historians, and enthusiasts from all walks of life), most of whom are not university-affiliated scholars. The MLS runs a vibrant programme of discussion and performance and has a long association with the Lucerna Magic Lantern Web Resource, to which the Million Pictures project has already made an impressive contribution. The great expansion of Lucerna's online image bank enabled by the project has already transformed the MLS's understanding of the remarkable wealth of lantern slides held in public collections. In addition, Million Pictures funded key entertainments taking place at the Magic Lantern Society Convention 2017: the major evening event, 'Magic and the Muse' at Birmingham Crescent Theatre; the performance of Tony Lidington with his magic lantern peepshow, 'Lucky Dicky Crangle'; the performance of several Convention 'side-shows'. The Million Pictures project has also collaborated with the Magic Lantern Society on two more outcomes. The first of these took place on 17 March 2017 at the Royal Institution, London, where the Chair of the MLS gave an evening lantern performance based on the work of John Tyndall, open to the public and supported by the project as part of a workshop. In addition, on 11 January 2018, the Chair of the MLS gave a performance of the musical lantern show, 'Magic and the Muse' to a packed Barnfield Theatre, Exeter. The other local societies and subject associations listed above have all received public talks given by members of the UK project team based upon their knowledge of lantern slides, and digitisation of collections relevant in each case. Torquay Museum has also benefitted from a visit by Kember and the project post-doc in order to identify their slides, and to contribute to an 'Archives Revealed' grant application to the National Archives fund, which is currently under consideration with Kember as a full partner.
Collaborator Contribution The MLS is an amateur organisation hosting the bulk of the expertise concerning lantern slides in the UK: Million Pictures has already benefited from creating networks in which knowledge is discovered and shared. It has also benefited by drawing on the performance skills of individuals such as Jeremy Brooker, the current Chair of the Society. The other subject associations have contributed space in local venues, and the time of their staff and members.
Impact - Evening entertainment at the Barnfield Theatre, Exeter - Evening entertainment at the Magic Lantern and Science workshop hosted at the Royal Institution, London - Sponsorship and support from Million Pictures of several public entertainments hosted by the MLS at their International Convention. - Partnership in a new 'Archives Uncovered' grant to National Archives fund, made in collaboration with Torquay Museum. - Lectures, presentations, and entertainments given at all of the partners mentioned above.
Start Year 2015
 
Description Sponsorship and creation of Lucerna Community Interest Company (CIC) 
Organisation LUCERNA – the Magic Lantern Web Resource
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution In order to build sustainability into the Lucerna database, UK project team members have established a legal and financial status for it (completed in June 2017). The CIC is now fully operational, with its Chair and Board in place, and it is beginning the process of building sustainability into both the location and the organisation of the database. It is intended that the continuing collaboration between Million Pictures team members and the CIC will permit an expansion of the activities of the CIC, including not only the continued growth of the data within it, but also a guarantee for its long-term sustainability and for enhanced security for the site. Between 2018-19, Lucerna CIC has agreed with the University of Exeter to transfer teh database to Exeter in a deal brokered by Kember and Crangle, leading members of the Million Pictures team. THis is major step forward in ensuring the sustainability of the resource.
Collaborator Contribution The Board has confirmed its continued collaboration with Million Pictures and has furthered its connections to communities throughout the UK and Europe, as furnished by the Million Pictures project. It is also setting about relocating the database to the University of Exeter, UK.
Impact Thus far, the first outcome of this collaboration between Million Pictures and those working on the Lucerna database has been the establishment of the Community Interest Company itself. Further outcomes, concerning database sustainability and security are expected.
Start Year 2017
 
Description Sponsorship of and collaboration with creative practitiones 
Organisation Promenade Promotions Ltd
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Private 
PI Contribution Research and activities of digitising lantern slides with the collection have created materials that Tony Lidington, a career dramaturg and modern-day showman, has used in the course of his 'Raree-Man' peepshow entertainment. Specifically, these have been used to produce a new public peepshow show, intended for the general public, that has now toured venues across the UK. The project has sponsored Tony to produce this show using the project's own research, and then to convert it into entertainments given at the Royal Albert Memorial Museum, the Exeter 'Family Fun' Day, Dartmoor Folk Festival, and the Magic Lantern Society Convention. It has also gone on to tour at venues including: Devizes Street Arts Festival, Beverley Puppet Festival, Kendal Calling, and Festival Number 6. The piece is now part of the Peepshow repertoire and will be touring around the country at events and conventions for the foreseeable future. In addition, Lidington has presented papers at project sponsored events, and has demonstrated his apparatus to the world-leading subject-specialist group, the British Magic Lantern Society. In addition, we have worked extensively with Jeremy Brooker, who has created two new and innovative contemporary slide shows now performed three times across the project. The first of these was the 'Magic Lantern and Science' show performed for a public audience at the Royal Institution London. The second was the entertainment, 'Magic and the Muse', performed for a public audience at the Birmingham Crescent Theatre and Exeter's Barnfield Theatre, both sell-out events to the general public. In the latter show, Jeremy worked with professional musician/performers to produce a new form of combination of old and purpose-made lantern slides with contemporary music.Following the project, a further outcome has been a public performance at the British Association of Victroian Studies Conference in Exeter, August 2018.
Collaborator Contribution Tony Lidington and his performance partners at Promenade Promotions have brought their remarkable creative skills to bear on the materials furnished by Million Pictures. They have created a radical, modern interpretation of a selection of lanterns slides digitised within the project, and have performed this to audiences in streets and at festivals around the country as part of the 'Lucky Dicky Crangle and the Cinnebar Moth' show. They have also made use of their existing network of contacts, to take the slides to audiences otherwise inaccessible to the project. During 2017-18, as part of the project, Lidington brought his apparatus to the Magic Lantern Society Convention, where he demonstrated and performed for subject specialists. He also presented a paper to the audience at the Million Pictures workshop in January 2018. Jeremy Brooker created and directed all three of the shows funded by Million Pictures and following in its wake, and has successfully brought the magic lantern to large scale audiences in a manner that the peep-show cannot.
Impact Lidington has presented his peep-show apparatus to public audiences at the magic lantern society convention, 2017; he has also presented papers at project workshops. He has also performed 'Lucky Dicky Crangle and the Cinnebar Moth' multiple times at: - Royal Albert Memorial Museum - Exeter 'Family Fun Day in the Park' - Dartmoor Folk Festival - Magic Lantern Society Convention - Devizes Street Arts Festival - Beverley Puppet Festival - Kendal Calling - Festival Number 6 Brooker has presented his 'Magic and the Muse' show twice: - Birmingham Crescent Theatre (28 April 2017) - Exeter Barnfield Theatre (11 January 2018) He has also presented his Magic Lantern and Science show: 'A light on Albemarle street: John Tyndall and the magic lantern' - Royal Institution, London (17 March 2017) Finally, he has produced a 'Gothic Magic Lantern Show' for the genral public - Exeter University (August 2018)
Start Year 2016
 
Title IPR for images created by the project. 
Description The creation of large numbers of images derived from collections in public hands, licensed for distribution on an open access database, has required the generation of contracts between the university and each collection reflecting fair use. This is the first time, to my knowledge, that such contracts have been issued with respect to magic lantern slide collections in this country. 
IP Reference  
Protection Protection not required
Year Protection Granted 2016
Licensed Yes
Impact The licensing arrangements created by this project are intended to serve as a model for future negotiations with slide collection owners, and will therefore assist in changing organisational culture and practices in these institutions.
 
Description 'Forgotten delights' public talk 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Regional
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact Dr Richard Crangle showcased 'A Million Pictures'. He presented the collection of lantern slides at the Royal Albert Memorial Museum collections and how they were digitized to a audience comprised of the general public. The RAMM reported increased interest in this subject afterwards.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2015
URL http://www.devonmuseums.net/Forgotten-Delights:-the-RAMM-magic-lantern-slide-collection/Events/4
 
Description All day public workshop at the Royal Institution (London) 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact This will take place on 17th April, the day following final submission deadline for this report.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2017
URL http://a-million-pictures.wp.hum.uu.nl/magic-lantern-science-day/
 
Description Exmouth Historical and Archaeological Society 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Local
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact Evening talk on RAMM slide collection and lantern slides in general. This sparked questions and discussions afterwards and we have received positive feedback from audience members.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2016
 
Description Halloween event for children at the Royal Albert Memorial Museum 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Regional
Primary Audience Schools
Results and Impact A"Trick or Treat" evening hosted by Dr Richard Crangle, which brought some of the digitised slides produced by the project to younger audiences. This has sparked discussion within the Museum of creative re-use projects in relation to young stakeholders in museum experience, and has emphasised the broad currency of historical lantern materials in shows of all kinds.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2015
URL http://www.devonmuseums.net/Things-that-go-Bump-in-the-Night%E2%80%A6---Halloween-Museums-at-Night/E...
 
Description Magic Lantern Society meeting in Bath 
Form Of Engagement Activity A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Third sector organisations
Results and Impact Talk on Million Pictures project and Lucerna web resource. This was well-attended, and introduced the project to a well-established subject association. In response, the magic Lantern Society have now changes their rate of use of the Lucerna database, and have also furnished public entertainments making use of Million Pictures materials, expertise, and sponsorship.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2016
 
Description Magic Lantern broadcast 
Form Of Engagement Activity A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press)
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Media (as a channel to the public)
Results and Impact 'Object Stories' broadcast intended to publicise the magic lantern holdings at the Bill Douglas Cinema Museum, Exeter.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2016
URL http://humanities.exeter.ac.uk/film/news/title_469390_en.html
 
Description Million Pictures workshop 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Study participants or study members
Results and Impact This was the fourth workshop of the Million Pictures project, hosted at the University of Exeter. It attracted an international audience of scholars, museum professionals, and the general public. The discussion was excellent, and has now led to plans for future projects of similar types.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2018
URL https://a-million-pictures.wp.hum.uu.nl/wp-content/uploads/sites/210/2017/03/Exeter-workshop-program...
 
Description Million Pictures workshop 1 
Form Of Engagement Activity A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact First project workshop attended by project partners, other scholars, postgraduate students and members of the general public. Members of the public involved in amateur lantern organisations in several countries, including the British Magic Lantern Society, generated discussion concerning the interests of public stakeholders in lantern slide collections, especially slide collectors and enthusiasts. These contributions have influenced the strategies adopted by the Million Pictures collaborators, especially with respect to the most effective use of the Lucerna Magic Lantern Web Resource database.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2015
URL http://a-million-pictures.wp.hum.uu.nl/category/publications/workshop-notes/
 
Description Newsletter updates (Exeter) 
Form Of Engagement Activity A magazine, newsletter or online publication
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Regional
Primary Audience Third sector organisations
Results and Impact RAMMBLE newsletter 'project Updates' in March 2015 and March 2016.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2015
 
Description Official Project Opening with magic Lantern Show 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact Lanternists Gwen Sebus and Elisabeth Waagmeester (Christiaan Huygens Theater) give two lantern shows to the general public on issues of popular science, which sparked several questions that have contributed to the generation of project protocols and standards on behalf of Museum and public stakeholders.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2015
URL http://a-million-pictures.wp.hum.uu.nl/official-project-opening-with-magic-lantern-show-scientific-e...
 
Description Public Entertainment 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Study participants or study members
Results and Impact Traditional Lantern show provided by Nicholas Hiley, at the RAMM Museum, Exeter (11 January 2018)
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2018
 
Description Public Talk (Exeter) 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Local
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact 'Photography and Film: Ways of Seeing the World'. Public talk as part of Unveil'd Photography Festival held at Bill Douglas Cinema Museum. Discussion of lantern slide photography provoked detailed discussion.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2016
URL http://a-million-pictures.wp.hum.uu.nl/public-talk-photography-and-film-ways-of-seeing-the-world/
 
Description Public entertainment 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Regional
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact Jeremy Brooker performed his show, 'Magic and the Muse', with contemporary music and both antique and purpose-made lantern slides at the Birmingham Crescent Theatre (28 April 2017) to a packed audience.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2017
URL http://livebrum.co.uk/the-crescent-theatre/2017/04/28/magic-and-the-muse
 
Description Public entertainment (London) 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact 'A light on Albemarle street: John Tyndall and the magic lantern'. Public show to be given at the Royal Institution on 17th March.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2017
URL http://www.rigb.org/whats-on
 
Description Public exhibitions and shows 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Other audiences
Results and Impact The project funded and collaborated in a series of 'side-show' entertainments at the Magic Lantern Society's Convention 2017, held in Birmingham Mechanics' Institute (28-30 April 2017). These included: Tony Lidington's peepshow and the 'Cabinet of Curiosities'.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2017
URL http://www.magiclantern.org.uk/convention/programme.php
 
Description Public lecture (London) 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Third sector organisations
Results and Impact Public talk given for the Royal Geographical Society's 'Be Inspired' public lecture series. This provoked discussion during the workshop activities involving magic lantern slides, which followed.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2016
URL http://a-million-pictures.wp.hum.uu.nl/lecture-be-inspired/
 
Description Public lecture: 'Lighting the Darkness' 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Local
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact Jenny Durrant of the Royal Albert Memorial Museum and Dr Richard Crangle presented material from the RAMM's magic lantern slide collection, as digitised in the course of the project. The RAMM reported further interest following the presentation, which has emphasised the significance of presenting materials to audiences outside of the Museum: this one took place in a nearby local town.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2015
URL http://a-million-pictures.wp.hum.uu.nl/lunchtime-lecture/
 
Description Public show 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Regional
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact Public show given by Jeremy Brooker at the Royal Institution London, 'A light on Albemarle street: John Tyndall and the magic lantern' as part of public 'Magic Lantern and Science' workshop funded by Million Pictures (17 March 2017)
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2017
URL http://www.rigb.org/whats-on/events-2017/march/public-a-light-on-albemarle-street
 
Description Public talk (Dawlish) 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Local
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact Dawlish and Teignmouth Camera Club - evening talk on RAMM slide collection and lantern slides in general, which provoked good discussion and feedback.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2016
 
Description Public talk (Plymouth) 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Regional
Primary Audience Third sector organisations
Results and Impact Talk given at the Devon History Society - afternoon talk on RAMM slide collection and lantern slides in general - provoking widespread discussion in a packed room.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2016
 
Description Public talk (Thorverton) 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Local
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact Thorverton and District History Society - evening talk on RAMM slide collection and lantern slides in general, provoked general discussion and good feedback following the event.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2016
 
Description Public talk and show (Exeter) 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Local
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact Royal Albert Memorial Museum, Exeter - Talk titled, 'Wonder of All Wonders: Magic lanterns, peepshows and performances' as part of Unveil'd Photography Festival.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2016
URL https://unveild.co.uk/
 
Description Radio Interview 
Form Of Engagement Activity A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Regional
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact Radio interview conducted with Kember on BBC Radio Devon's 'David Fitzgerald Show' in order to publicise the project, the magic lantern slides held at RAMM Museum, and the forthcoming public show at the Barnfield Theatre.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2018
 
Description TV news story 
Form Of Engagement Activity A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Regional
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact A three minute item on the BBC Spotlight show reaching a very large regional audience, and featuring Kember and representatives from the RAMM Museum (10 April 2018). The item was intended to publicise the project and the collections held at the RAMM.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2018
 
Description Workshop 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Study participants or study members
Results and Impact 'Magic Lantern and Science' public workshop held at Royal Institution 27 April, 2017. This was attended by the general public, and sparked debate concerning historical use of the lantern in scientific contexts.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2017
 
Description article in online arts magazine (US) 
Form Of Engagement Activity A magazine, newsletter or online publication
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Media (as a channel to the public)
Results and Impact This was an article publicising the project written by Clare Voon at Hyperallergic, a major online arts magazine and forum. The post received 2400 'likes' and as a consequence, the traffic at Lucerna increased dramatically.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2016
URL http://hyperallergic.com/285023/from-kittens-to-curling-thousands-of-european-lantern-slides-are-goi...
 
Description newspaper article (Exeter) 
Form Of Engagement Activity A magazine, newsletter or online publication
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Regional
Primary Audience Media (as a channel to the public)
Results and Impact Brief article in Exeter Express and Echo highlighting the work of the project in local collections: 'Historic Slides will be saved in local collection'. The project received several responses from readers, including one donation of slides for the Bill Douglas Cinema Museum.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2016
 
Description public entertainment 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Regional
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact Jeremy Brooker performed the second of his 'Magic and the Muse' shows to a packed audience at the Barnfield Theatre, Exeter (12 January 2018). The show incorporated antique and purpose-made slides with contemporary music.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2018
URL https://www.visitexeter.com/whats-on/magic-and-the-muse-p2317833