The Heavens on Screen: Visual Culture and the Development of Astronomical Lantern Slides in Early Victorian Britain

Abstract Astronomical lantern slides were central to the broader practices of lanternism in Britain in the long 19th century, when ideas about science and how to display it in public were changing. The screen-based visual form of astronomical lantern slides emerged from both technological and social contexts. This paper considers the British development of astronomical lantern slides from other media forms like illustrated books and transparent orreries, as well as the performance of these earlier formats on stage, in schoolrooms, and in the home, within the growing market for “rational recreation.” In particular, lantern slides picked up on two traditions for astronomical visualisation, one focusing on the ideals of the celestial science, the other on emotional engagement with the subject, which we term the didactic and sublime modes, respectively. We consider the “ship proof” for the rotundity of Earth as an example of the former, while the ubiquitous presence of eclipse and comet slides is an example of the latter. The new dynamics of the lantern-slide trade developed astronomical slides in a different direction from their forerunners. However, we argue that the science communication of astronomy on the magic lantern screen cannot be understood without seeing these continuities with earlier practices from multiple sources.