Magic Lantern Glass Slide Scanning

We specialize in digitizing antique magic lantern glass slides for individuals, museums, historical societies, and collectors. Since 2002, we've carefully scanned thousands of these irreplaceable historical artifacts, preserving images that date back centuries.

Magic Lantern Slide Order Form

History of Magic Lantern Slides

Magic lantern slides date back to the mid-1600s and remained popular entertainment well into the early twentieth century. These glass slides were the precursors to modern slide projectors and motion pictures.

In the early 1900s, magic lantern exhibitions were a hugely popular form of public entertainment—much like going to a movie theater today. These shows combined projected images with live music and narration or "readings" to create immersive storytelling experiences.

Some slides were specially made in progressive frame series that could be moved quickly through the projector to create the illusion of motion—an early form of animation that predated cinema.

Magic Lantern Projectors

Early magic lantern projectors often resembled small kerosene stoves, complete with a vent stack on top. The metal exterior became extremely hot because the light source—which provided the sole illumination—was typically fueled by burning oil or gas, a piece of burning calcium, or later, electricity.

The intense light was projected through a glass lens barrel mounted on the front of the projector. Hand-painted or photographic slides were placed in this lens barrel, and the light passed through the slide and lens to project the image onto a screen or wall.

Standard Magic Lantern Slide Sizes

Magic lantern slides were manufactured in several regional standard sizes:

• Peck and Snyder Co. size: 4.5" × 7"
• English pattern: 3.5" × 3.5"
• French pattern: 3.25" × 4"
• Standard European size: 3.25" × 3.25"
• Another common size: 7.125" × 2" × 0.0625"

We can scan all standard magic lantern slide sizes.

Our Scanning Capability

What We Can Scan: We scan flat glass-encased magic lantern slides. These delicate historical artifacts require specialized handling and equipment to digitize properly without risking damage.

What We Cannot Scan: We cannot scan slides with wooden frames or slides with protective materials that cannot be safely removed.

Copyright Protection: We will not scan any copy-protected magic lantern slides.

Pricing for Magic Lantern Slide Scanning

Magic lantern slide scanning requires specialized equipment and extra care to handle these fragile historical artifacts properly. Our pricing structure mirrors our medium format film scanning rates:

Pricing Formula: Calculate the square inch area of your magic lantern slide and multiply by $0.49 per square inch.

Example Calculations:

• 3.25" × 3.25" slide = 10.56 square inches × $0.49 = $5.17 per slide
• 3.5" × 3.5" slide = 12.25 square inches × $0.49 = $6.00 per slide
• 4.5" × 7" slide = 31.5 square inches × $0.49 = $15.44 per slide

This specialized scanning ensures your irreplaceable historical slides are handled with appropriate care and digitized at high resolution to capture all the detail these antique images contain.

Why Choose Us for Historical Glass Slides

Experience: We've digitized thousands of magic lantern slides since 2002 for individuals, museums, and historical societies.

Careful Handling: We understand these are irreplaceable historical artifacts and handle them with appropriate care and respect.

High Resolution: Our scanning captures all the detail and nuance present in your antique glass slides.

Expert Knowledge: We understand the various formats, sizes, and construction methods used throughout magic lantern slide history.

Preservation Focus: We help preserve important historical images for future generations through quality digitization.

Ready to Preserve Your Historical Slides?

Contact us to discuss your magic lantern slide collection. We can provide specific pricing based on your slide sizes and answer any questions about the scanning process.