Tangible Media: Removable Storage of Image, Sound, Motion and Data
Tangible Media: Removable Storage of Image, Sound, Motion and Data
Tangible Media: Removable Storage of Image, Sound, Motion and Data
Coating
Double Lever Slide

Title:

'Arry catching his first crab

Artist:

W. A. W.

Date:

c. 1900

Material:

Watercolor or oil paint on glass, mahogany mechanism and mount

Company:

H. J. Redding & Giles

Location:

London, UK

Two glass discs are rotated in sequence using wooden levers. The man's leg is painted on one and a crab on the other. A third stationary disc holds the rest of the scene. Pulling down the first lever lowers the man's foot; pulling up on both levers raises the man's foot and reveals the crab attached to it. The discs were hand-painted using watercolor or oil paint.

The copyright holder W. A. W. manufactured mechanical slides, a few of which can be found online (de Roo 2023). H. J. Redding & Gyles was a London firm founded in 1896 that made and sold cameras, as well as magic lantern slides, optical toys and novelties (Tooley 2024a). Henry Joseph Redding was known at the time for having invented the Luzo camera, a small roll-film camera sometimes called a detective camera because of its small size. It was the first English roll-film camera, introduced in 1889—just one year after the Kodak roll-film camera (Tooley 2024b). The company name had several variations; this one was active between 1896 and 1901.

References
Tooley, Robert. 2024a. "References
Hecht, Ann. 2001. Lever Slides. In Encyclopaedia of the Magic Lantern, edited by David Robinson, Stephen Herber and Richard Crangle. The Magic Lantern Society. p. 168–169.
de Roo, Henc R.A. 2023. "Working for a Living. de Luikerwaal. Last updated Aug. 10, 2023.
Tooley, Robert. 2024a. "Company Details." Early Photography. Accessed Dec 7, 2024.
Tooley, Robert. 2024b. "Luzo." Early Photography. Accessed Dec 7, 2024.