What is that great book by Richard Altick? The Shows of London or something like that...Terry Castle also has a swell essay on the subject in The Female Thermometer. You should also check out illustrated magazines of the period. I have collected dozens of magic lantern stories from the Scientific American of that period. London Illustrated News would also be worth a look, although I think the Scientific American of that period is one of the best research sources for magic lantern studies. It is a great untapped resource, I might add. Jack Judson owns a private museum in Texas. He is probably the nation's foremost expert on magic lantern collecting and has a fantastic collection of lanterns, slides, etc. I think he has a web site, too. Good luck. Great subject, very underscrutinized. Meryem Ersoz ---- For past messages, visit the Screen-L Archives: http://bama.ua.edu/archives/screen-l.html