Pamono Magic Projector / Lantern from Unis, France, 1920s> Electronics

Unis France magic projector / lantern, by 1920 – France

Excellent folding magic lantern produced by the Unis France association in the first quarter of the twentieth century. The function of this optical object is to project the illusion of movement. This is achieved through a simple mechanism: a lens game, some images in glass plates and a source of lighting, in this case a bulb.

This instrument has a quadrangular structure and is composed of two clearly differentiated elements. The first is the dark box, made of black metal; And the second, is the wooden box that hides the bellows and where the goal is located, carried out in bronze and with glass lens. This lens relies on a sliding plate to be able to remove it, an advance, since in the previous models it was screwed. The base of the magic flashlight is also made of wood, since to extend the bellows you have to slide the aforementioned wood box.

The dark chamber, meanwhile, presents different openings, each for a function -one of them for the slides -, in addition to a great chimney at the top to eliminate the gases and the heat that emanates from the light source. It is in this camera where the light meets the slides, a reflection that is channeled to the lenses, which will expand the image on the wall where it is projected.

According to experts in the field, this pre-cinematographic mechanism projects the image with a brilliant quality, thanks to the color of ancient slides, something that has not yet been overcome by any similar mechanism. It is, therefore, a museum piece for demanding collectors. In good condition taking into account your age.

Brief history of the magic flashlight

The magic flashlight starts from an artifact based on a dark camera with a lens game and a sliding support in which transparencies painted on glass plates were placed. These images illuminated with an oil lamp, which made a fireplace necessary so that the smoke could have a way out. His name refers to the light “flashlight” and “magical”, to the projection itself, the magic being the power of movement.

The magic flashlight is a machine that evolves in parallel to the evolution of its components. During the 18th century the improvements affected the glass plates, since the mechanism of chain was developed. At the same time, with the development of the incandescent filament lamp the oil lamp and other less comfortable light sources are eliminated.

In Spain there are references of this device since the seventeenth century. Subsequently Jovellanos, at the dawn of the nineteenth century, criticizes it for its uses in the shows. One of the best known is “ghostly”, projected at that time by Frenchman Robertson, but whose presence went back to previous centuries. At the same time that, the magical flashlights served to carry out educational and informative projections, but soon became a playful object when it was marketed. However, with the implantation of the cinematographer came its decay and disuse.

Dimensions

Total dimensions closed: 52 x 80 x 26 cm.

Height without chimney: 35 cm.

Large with extended bellows: 100 cm.