Royal Polytechnic Institution lantern slide, about 1860

A hand-painted, large format magic lantern slide depicting a scene from the German fairy tale 'The Heart of Stone', painted by an unknown artist and shown at the Royal Polytechnic Institution, London in about 1860. A moral tale of the evils of the pursuit of material wealth the fairy story 'The Heart of Stone' was written by the German poet and author Wilhelm Hauff (1802-1827). The story is about Peter Munck, a charcoal-burner working in the Black Forest. In return for riches he trades his 'warm' heart for the 'cold' heart of an evil giant called Dutch Peter. Only after Peter kills his own wife does he realise his cruelty and attempt to get his heart back. The Royal Polytechnic Institution in Regent Street, London, was renowned for its spectacular magic lantern shows employing as many as six huge lanterns projecting large, hand-painted slides eight inches (20.3 cm) by five inches (12.7 cm). Opened in 1838, the Royal Poytechnic Institution was a popular venue for educational displays, lectures and entertainment. It also offered a laboratory, gymnasium and swimming pool. In March 1841, Richard Beard (1802-1888) opened the first photographic studio in Europe on the roof of the Polytechnic. From the Kodak at the National Science & Media Museum. This collection of photographs, equipment and printed material tracing the history of photography, was assembled by Kodak Limited and acquired from them in the mid-1980s. As well as approximately 200,000 photographs, the Collection includes nearly 10,000 items of photographic and cinematic equipment as well as books and printed ephemera. The Collection is especially strong in the area of popular photography. It includes examples of most of the products made by Kodak Limited and thousands of snapshots, dating back to the 1880s. It also contains work by known photographers such as Frank Meadow Sutcliffe and Paul Martin.