3 “Dissolving” Magic Lantern Slides Hebrew Handwriting Magically Appears on Wall For Sale

3 “Dissolving View” Wood-Mount Magic Lantern Glass Slides, Late 19th Century
Item description is keyed to the numbered images above.The numbers and the word WATERMARK do not appear on the actual slide or slides.
Image 5:The wood-mounts measure 7” x 4”. The wood and the glass are without cracks.Image 9:Edges of the three wood-mounts showing the original paper labels:
“DISSOLVING VIEWS-The Handwriting on the Wall. No 1.”
“DISSOLVING VIEWS-The Handwriting on the Wall. No 2.”
“Knights of”Images 2 & 3:During the nineteenth century, “Dissolving Views” were two or more magic lantern slides intended to be projected on the same screen at the same time by two or more magic lantern projectors. By raising or lowering the intensity of the light coming out of the projectors, the projectionist could fade one view into another - causing, for instance, a dream to form above a sleeping person’s head, or a group of angels to hover in the sky, or lightning to flash in a storm cloud.Or the handwriting to appear on the wall in the Biblical story of Belshazzar’s Feast, fifth chapter of the Book of Daniel, wherein God-sent graffiti appears on Belshazzar’s wall and Daniel interprets the words MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN as foretelling Belshazzar’s downfall, which prophesy is fulfilled that very night.The two slides here, used as a dissolving view, are absolute knockouts.Images 1 and 6, 7 & 8:A composite, showing how the two slides would appear if they were projected using two magic lanterns, and the light from the lantern projecting the handwriting slowly intensified.Image 4:For good measure (note the scales) we’re also including a slide featuring a great Satan / Lucifer / Devil-with-a-pitchfork figure who is illustrating the meaning of the handwriting on the wall. Essentially, MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN means you have been judged and found wanting. And you’re going straight to the fiery pit. Down there. Thataway. Where I’m pointing.This is one of 25 lantern-slide sales ending within 25 minutes of each other. We combine shipping on multiple lots.