The Homer and Betty Peabody Magic Lantern Collection (1800-2006) contains forty-two magic lanterns, approximately five thousand glass slides, as well as material related to the Peabody's membership in the Magic Lantern societies of the United States, Canada, and Great Britain, and their collecting activities and interests. The collection documents the development of lantern technology and glass slides as well as its diverse usage. The majority of the collection dates from 1880 to 1920 and is divided into three series: Lanterns, Glass Slides, and Personal Papers.

The magic lantern has a long and varied history as a scientific and optical instrument.  In 1658, a Dutch scientist named Christiaan Huygens developed the magic lantern.  This new instrument required an illuminant, a chimney, and a special lens system, and could project images from glass slides onto walls and other surfaces.

89.20 linear ft

The copyright interests in some of these materials have been transferred to or belong to San Diego State University. Copyright resides with the creators of materials contained in the collection or their heirs. The nature of historical archival and manuscript collections is such that copyright status may be difficult or even impossible to determine. Requests for permission to publish must be submitted to the Head of Special Collections, San Diego State University, Library and Information Access. When granted, permission is given on behalf of Special Collections as the owner of the physical item and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder(s), which must also be obtained in order to publish.  Materials from our collections are made available for use in research, teaching, and private study. The user must assume full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to, infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials.

This collection is open for research.