Cinematographic magic lantern

Toy apparatus for family use, which consisted of a simple model of magic lantern, to which a system for dragging a small film had been added. In this way, it allowed the dual function of projecting magic lantern slides, with static images, and also small films with cartoons. At first, only very short films were used, usually the beginning and end were glued together to form a loop, so the projection was an endless repetition of the images. Subsequently, in some models, longer films were used, placed on reels. The projected film was not rolled up by a second reel, but simply fell to the ground. After the first screenings of the cinematograph in the late nineteenth century, many manufacturers of toy magic lanterns adapted them with simple mechanisms for the projection of films. One of the most popular companies was Gebrüder Bing (Nuremberg). Founded in 1863 for the sale of household products, from 1880 they began to make tin toys and in the mid-1880s also magic lanterns.