'Magic Lantern' Peep Show
Photograph by John Thomson
Slide or 'magic lantern' shows were a novelty
in China in the late 1860s. The lantern was considered 'truly
ingenious beyond belief', and it soon attracted a mass popular
audience. People in China who had never travelled could learn about
foreign places through the slide show, discovering the world beyond
the confines of their home village or region. Often a showman
delivered a running commentary on the mysterious scenes as he
introduces them; sometimes there was even music accompaniment. To
attract customers, many presenters also included a few images of
naked women in the middle or at the end of a show.