Happy New Year! Our first Exhibit of 2024 is inspired by the Blessed Virgin Mary, whose feast is celebrated on January 1st. These images are from a set of magic lantern slides that were donated by the estate of Monsignor Joseph O'Neill. The slides are hand coloured reproductions of artwork depicting the Blessed Virgin and were probably produced between 1915 and 1930. Unfortunately, we have no information on who created these magnificent slides. Magic lanterns were originally created in the 17th century using hand painted slides, well before the invention of photography. They were used to entertain or educate audiences, who were wowed by the 'magic' pictures. The slides portrayed a wide variety of subject matter, including travel destinations, biblical scenes or art. Many even contained a narrative. Sets of slides were often sold with an accompanying text to be read along with each frame. They could even be set to music. Although the technology changed over time, magic lanterns were in use until the early 20th century.