LA LANTERNE MAGIQUE
Medium
albums (bound) & books
Classification
albums (bound) & books
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Purchased for the Museum by the Advisory Council
Accession Number
1921-6-319-4
About this artwork
Research in Progress
Art Historical Context
In 1743, French Christophe Huet created *La Lanterne Magique a bound album now held in the Smithsonian American Art. Huet (1695–1759) this work during a lively era of French cultural life. Purchased for the museum by Advisory Council, the piece highlights how 18th-century bound and albums served as elegant vessels for sharing images, ideas, and stories. The title, meaning “The Magic Lantern,” points to a popular optical device of the time—an early projector that used painted glass slides and lamplight to cast glowing pictures onto walls or screens. These lanterns mixed art, science, and enter...