Six Antique Hand-Coloured Magic Lantern Slides — Middle East / North Africa, Gladwish & Mitchell

A set of six hand-coloured magic lantern slides depicting scenes and artefacts from the Middle East and North Africa, produced by Gladwish & Mitchell — a prominent Montreal-based photographic supplier, developer, and distributor active from 1917 to 1938. Hand-coloured lantern slides of this quality are increasingly rare and collectible, combining the craft of the colourist with the documentary eye of early 20th-century photography.

Condition

• Slides: Good condition for age. A few small scratches may be present but nothing major.
• Holders: Not in wooden holders — slides only.
• Photography note: Photos taken with slides on a light box to show the hand-colouring at its best.

Provenance

• Maker: Gladwish & Mitchell, Montreal, Canada — a well-regarded photographic supply and distribution house active in the early 20th century (1917–1938), producing and distributing lantern slides for educational, religious, and entertainment use across North America.
• Subject: Scenes and artefacts from the Middle East and North Africa — a popular subject for lantern slide sets of the era, used in lectures, church halls, and educational institutions to bring distant lands to audiences who would never travel there.
• Technique: Hand-coloured — each slide individually painted by hand, a skilled and time-consuming process that gives these slides their distinctive warmth and character.
• Era: Early 20th century (1917–1938).
• Appeal: A beautiful and historically significant set — wonderful for collectors of photographic history, magic lantern enthusiasts, or as striking display pieces when backlit.