Phantasmagoria magic lantern, late 18th century

Phantasmagoria magic lantern, late 18th century.

Magic lanterns are slide projectors that were first used in the 1600s. They were most popular in the 1800s when lanternists travelled with their lantern strapped to their back, giving shows in towns and villages.

A bullseye lantern was a type of lantern which focused the source of light to illuminate only in a specific direction and were often used for Phantasmagoria shows, an early form of magic lantern show which specialised in ghostly narratives.

Like hooded lanterns, typical bullseye lanterns consisted of a metallic frame enclosing glass panels, within which a wick connected to a reservoir of oil burned and shed light as long as the supply of fuel lasted. The difference was that a bullseye lantern was almost entirely covered in a reflective metal housing with only a single aperture (the "bullseye") which allowed light to escape, illuminating significantly farther than a hooded lantern, but only in a limited direction.