Over the last several months, I've written a few entries about Thomas Keith Marshall's Lantern Slides. Now, I'm happy to say that the prohibition theme slides and the bird slides are now available to students, researchers, and the Internet public at large.
There are approximately 150 images created by scanning glass lantern slides dating back to, ~1911-1914. Tom Marshall became involved in the first Audubon Society chapter in Arizona and acquired a Balopticon Model C lantern projector. This model worked with either coal oil or could be converted to electricity. Tom's was converted to electricity and still has one of its original bulbs. Gary Mackender, our QTVR expert, created a 360° QTVR panorama of it.
When you visit the website, you'll find seven webpages. The first four feature thumbnail images from the Prohibition slides and pages 5-7 feature the bird images. Click any thumbnail image to retrieve a metadata page describing that specific item.
There are about 50 of the bird slide images that are without complete identification. There was nothing to identity the bird on the slide's label and I've been unable to locate the original source from which the glass slides were created. It appears to be a book published by Henry Holt & Co. A member of the local Audubon Society pitched in and identified about 25 of the birds.
The slides show birds that were captured, killed, stuffed and posed for photos. While today we find this rather abhorrent, it was accepted practice among the naturalists in the later part of the 19th century.
The Prohibition theme slides should also be viewed in the context of the time. Students of American history will recall that "the Eighteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution, along with the Volstead Act (which defined 'intoxicating liquors' excluding those used for religious purposes), established Prohibition in the United States." [Wikipedia] Among the organizations leading the movement for Prohibition was the Women's National Christian Temperance Union and many of the slides in our website are from the WNCTU (now known as the WCTU). Its message is also a product of its time. There is a mix of pseudo-science, religious fervor and dramatic license throughout. One wonders what the approved text to accompany showing these slides must have been like. In any case, it is an interesting artifact and some teachers may find it useful as a vehicle for students to discuss contemporary issues.
