Lantern slides, 1900-1940

This section is composed of lantern slides, which reproduce works of art and are primarily organized by country of origin, then by artist and/or media. The person who used the slide for lecturing was often noted with initials. Based on Edith Emerson's method of notation, the initials indicate the following: VO for Violet Oakley; EE for Edith Emerson; HE for Huger Elliott (architect and husband of Elizabeth Shippen Green). Titles of the lectures that the slides were associated with are often noted on the bottom of the slides.

It appears that Violet Oakley used the slides to illustrate presentations in her studio, in the Philadelphia area, and in other cities to supplement her income, especially during the Depression. Edith Emerson likely used the slides to teach at the Agnes Irwin school, where she was employed from 1916-1927, and other schools where she taught. It is not clear how long the artists made use their lantern slide collection, but the technology was less popular after the 1940s.

Given the labeling and subject matter of the images, most of the slides appear to have been commercially produced and used to teach art history lectures. However, some of the images appear to be original, such as those related to Violet Oakley and her circle, as well as Edith Emerson's "India" and "Lake George" slides.

These images are noteworthy because they document Oakley's murals in the Pennsylvania State Capitol and other sites. They are grouped in the "American" section, which also feature works of art created by Elizabeth Shippen Green Elliott and Jessie Willcox Smith (collectively known as the Red Rose Girls, along with Oakley). Emerson's work and that of other contemporary women artists are featured, as well. Historian Patricia Likos Ricci has observed that Oakley and Emerson used their presentations to promote women in the arts. The number of slides in the collection depicting women's artwork attests to their advocacy. One of Emerson's presentations on this topc is preserved through a slide grouping and lecture notes.

Also of note are lantern and 35 mm Kodachrome slides from Lake George, which contain original photographs of Oakley, Emerson, friends and students at Oakley's property at Lake George where they spent vacations and developed a summer art school program.

Other materials of interest include slides associated with Emerson's trip to India in 1936-1937 to prepare illustrations for The Pageant of India's History (New York: Longmans, Green and Co., 1949), written by her sister, Gertrude Emerson Sen. Sen was the editor of Asia Magazine and married to Basiswar Sen, an agriculturist. The slides include images of artwork, architecture, historic sites, and candid shots of people and animals. Her travels are particularly well documented. A section of the "India" slides is preserved in its original grouping, so it is possible to reconstruct another one of her lectures.