This means they are probably among the oldest examples of projected visual culture in the Netherlands. The collection comes from the archives of the Vereniging Koning Willemshuis, collection number 400. The aim of the association was to carry out social work in, amongst other places, the working-class neighbourhood of the Jordaan in Amsterdam.
The discovery came to light during an initial survey of the collection by Myrthe Bleeker, curator of the archives, and media historian Klaas de Zwaan. The collection is not only exceptionally old, but also contains hand-painted glass plates and rare so-called ‘trick slides’ that could be used to simulate movement – an early form of animation, long before the advent of film.
The magic lantern, the precursor to the slide projector and the video projector, was used to project images from the seventeenth century onwards. In the nineteenth century, the medium developed into an important tool for education, religious gatherings, entertainment and propaganda.
Although the collection had been known within the University Library for some time, its special significance has only recently become clear.
"When I first came across the collection, I saw it primarily as an interesting addition to the Koning Willemshuis archive, as held by the Amsterdam City Archives," says Bleeker. "It was only when we began to examine the images more closely that we realised there might be material here that is much older and rarer than we had initially thought."
To assess the collection, Bleeker invited media historian and VU lecturer Klaas de Zwaan, who had previously conducted research into the history of the magic lantern.
"To be honest, I was mainly expecting mass-produced photographs from around 1900," says De Zwaan. "Interesting, but nothing out of the ordinary. What subsequently emerged from the boxes exceeded all expectations. Sometimes the finest material is right under your nose."
The collection includes, amongst other things, hand-painted glass plates and mechanical slides that allowed images to move.
"For example, we see growling tigers and gracefully moving swans. These are wonderful examples of moving images from before the advent of cinema. They show how people were already experimenting with visual effects and animation centuries ago."
According to De Zwaan, what makes the collection special is not only its contents, but also its provenance.
"By comparing them with similar items in museum collections, we can provisionally date some of the pictures to the early nineteenth century and possibly even the late eighteenth century. Furthermore, it is exceptional that we know the context from which these objects originate. As a working hypothesis, we assume that the plates were actually used by the Koning Willemshuis Society. This enables us not only to study the objects themselves, but also to investigate how they were used in practice."
This discovery marks the start of a larger research project, in which students will play a key role. The University Library is currently looking for two interns from the History and Media, Art, Design and Architecture (MKDA) programmes to carry out further research into the collection.
"Together, we want to systematically describe, date and contextualise the collection," says Bleeker. "We are also preparing an exhibition that will be on display next year in the Main Building of VU Amsterdam."
The library also intends to make active use of the collection in teaching and research.
"This material offers opportunities, for example, for historians, religious studies scholars, media studies and communication studies scholars. It is precisely by allowing students and researchers to work with it that this heritage remains relevant and alive," says Bleeker.
Myrthe Bleeker
Archives Curator, University Library Vrije Universiteit
Email: m.i.bleeker@vu.nl
Klaas de Zwaan
Lecturer in Media Studies, Vrije Universiteit
Email: k.de.zwaan@vu.nl
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