About this collection

This collection of stereoviews and lantern slides was assembled by Alexis "Lex" du Pont (1928-2016), the son of Du Pont Motors founder E. Paul du Pont (1887-1950). The founder of New Garden Aviation and New Garden Flying Field in Pennsylvania, Alexis "Lex" du Pont was also a collector and dealer of motorcycles, automobiles, and antique aircraft.

This digital collection represents a small part of the Alexis du Pont stereoviews and lantern slides (Accession 2016.303) collection, which includes albumen silver prints, cabinet cards, cartes-de-visite, stereoviews, lantern slides, and a lantern slide projector.

Many of the items included here are mechanical lantern slides, early forms of animated entertainment. These include glass phenakistiscope discs, a choreutoscope, an astronomical rackwork slide, single and double slip slides, and slip panorama slides. Animated video files accompany these items to demonstrate them in use.

Image: Clown phenakistoscope, circular glass slide estimated to have been created during the second half of the 19th century.