Those interested in "aspect ratio" might be intrigued to know that manipulating

this property of the screen image is one of the many elements of modern cinema

practice that reaches back to magic-lantern shows.  In fact, it is one of the

leading reasons that Joseph Boggs Beale, America's foremost magic-lantern

artist, began his ML career.



In the 1880s, C. W. Briggs and Co., the leading wholesaler of illustrated

lantern slides, decided to create a magic-lantern  repertoire of great American

and World literature.  His original concept was to find suitable engravings,

and simply copy them.  But the images were in all sorts of different "aspect

ratios." (The term wasn't used then, but the concept was certainly

understood.)  The different aspect ratios made the slides jump around on the

screen when projected, destroying one aspect of continuity.  To fix this

problem, Briggs hired artists (Beale included) to "match out" the engravings --

that is, to paint in the borders to make them all a standard aspect ratio.

    The artists were extraordinarily skillful at this; sometimes it is almost

impossible to tell that a slide has been matched out.   But the technique did

not not solve the more serious continuity issues raised by trying to create a

sequential screen story with images that were not originally made for that

purpose.  Essential coherence, to say nothing of dramatic effect, was

sacrificed.  As a result, Beale was hired to work full time on developing story

sets specifically for screen projection.  He created a unique style for this

purpose, quite different from that which he had used in his previous career as

an illustrator with _Harper's, Leslie's_, etc.  He kept at the ML  project  for

the next 25 years, creating about 125 screen stories and songs.

    During the 1890's, when the cheaper 3-1/4 x 4" "Economy" slides began

replacing the old 3" round ones in wooden frames, aspect ratio came up again

because the slide makers were in the same position as today's movie producers

-- creating for several possible end-use shapes.  Beale solved this problem by

creating "the circle within the square."  All critical information was kept

"within the circle."  When he created his storyboards for Briggs he actually

drew in the circles, so that Briggs could see what would be transferable from

one aspect ratio to another.

Terry Borton

The American Magic-Lantern Theater



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