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2023 Philadelphia Lantern Slide Salon
October 19, 2023 @ 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm
Philadelphia Lantern Slide Salon
Thursday, October 19, 2023, 6 to 7:30 pm – in the Wagner’s lecture hall
Celebrate Archives Month Philly at the Wagner Free Institute of Science as we showcase glass lantern slides from the special collections of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University, the American Philosophical Society, The Historical Society of Frankford, the Penn Museum, the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, and the Wagner Free Institute of Science during the annual Philadelphia Lantern Slide Salon.
In the spirit of lantern exhibition culture, this salon will bring together unique and rarely-seen images presented in the context for which they were originally created. Sit back and enjoy as we explore the intersection of art and scientific discovery through scientific illustrations and photographs from Academy of Natural Sciences collecting expeditions; travel to Tahiti in the 1920s with John Hill Bourne; witness the arrival of the elevated train in Frankford; journey back in time for some breathtaking views of Switzerland; celebrate the 300th anniversary of Benjamin Franklin’s arrival in Philadelphia with a whirlwind tour of his life; and so much more!
Predating the motion picture, lantern slides were used for entertainment and to illustrate educational programs. The Philadelphia Lantern Slide Salon will be held in the Wagner’s Victorian-era lecture hall using an historic lantern projector. Please join us for a rare treat as we revive an old technology in order to see culturally significant lantern slide collections from the libraries and archives of Philadelphia’s most distinguished institutions.
