“Dahlia, cuttings”
“Outrigger canoes, Waikiki Beach, Hawaii”
3½ inch glass lantern slides, #3066 & #3076
Photographer and date unknown
According to the Magic Lantern Society, photographic lantern slides were first produced in 1848. However, hand-painted lantern slides date back to the 17th century. Photographic slides were created “by sensitizing a sheet of glass with a silver gelatin emulsion. The plate was then exposed to a negative and processed, resulting in a positive transparent image with exceptional detail and a rich tonal range” (National Gallery of Art). The Library’s collection of lantern slides is extensive, and contains images of Garden grounds, plant specimens, field expeditions, and more. Many of the slides date from around the turn of the 20th century. The collection is currently being surveyed by Library volunteer Barrie Hedge.
33 full-color View-Master Reels and one Sawyer’s View-Master Stereoscope
Photographs by WM. B. Gruber
Published 1949 by Sawyer’s Inc.
First sold in 1970 and manufactured through the 1980s
Housed in the Mertz Library’s Photo Vault, this projector can be used to view the library’s collection of 35mm slides, including historic photographs of NYBG staff, buildings, and garden grounds.
