Public lantern lectures in the Netherlands 1880-1940

This dataset was compiled from newspaper advertisements from the digitized newspaper platforms Delpher.nl and Archieven.nl and published between 1880 and 1926. A smaller dataset was compiled from a sample of advertisements published between 1926 and 1940 for comparison purposes. This dataset was produced in the context of the research project "Projecting Knowledge: The Magic Lantern as a Tool for Mediated Science Communication in the Netherlands, 1880-1940" funded by the Dutch Research Council (NWO). “Projecting Knowledge” studies the use of the magic lantern in science communication in the Netherlands, 1880-1940, and thereby elucidates the role of this important visual medium in the transmission and dissemination of knowledge. Adding “showing” to “telling”, the lantern allowed to share visual information with an entire auditorium and to present scientific information in challenging ways never seen before. It transformed both teaching and public lecturing comparable to the changes brought about by computer programmes such as PowerPoint.