Magic Lantern Society Convention

We're just back from the Convention of the Magic Lantern Society which was held this year in Seattle. We had a great time seeing old friends, and enjoying some first-rate research presentations about magic-lantern history -- its connections with the panoramas, with stage shows, with Jacob Riis, and with Steiglitz. There were some great shows too, including, if I do say so, ours, which was "Christmas in July" at the ACT Theatre downtown. We had an NPR interview the day before the show, and that brought in a lot of people.

The Society will have a new emphasis on research this coming year (I"m chair) and plans to host a conference at the Magic Lantern Castle Museum, to sponsor a $1,000 prize for magic-lantern research, and to publish The Magic Lantern-- the trade publication of the 1880s.