From 1900 to 1950, these "magic lantern" shows were as ubiquitous as videos and DVDs are today. American Baptists used dozens of these glass slide sets to tell the story of overseas and home missions. A stereopticon machine projected the images, someone read from the narrative script that accompanied each set of slides, and the resulting novel display was advertised and experienced by many as a "magic lantern" show.

Thanks to a generous grant from the Stewart Huston Charitable Trust, the Historical Society has been able to clean, identify and scan over 1000 images obtained by the Society.

Enter the photo gallery, featuring selected slides from the Bengal-Orissa series, to experience your own magic lantern show...