Image Discovery Week: Glass Negatives and Lantern Slides

This week, we're joining the Harrye B. Lyon Design Library of the NCSU College of Design to celebrate Image Discovery Week by highlighting some of the unique visual resources offered through NCSU Libraries.  Check out the Design Library blog to view a sampling of the wonderful images they have to offer, which they're sharing in a blog blitz all of this week.

Today we're sharing some of the images from the University Archives Photograph Collection of glass plate negatives and lantern slides , showing scenes of farm life and landscapes around North Carolina (because it's also Agricultural Awareness Week !).

"Two people standing in a tobacco field"
"Two people standing in a tobacco field"

This collection consists of glass negatives and lantern slides that were created by developing a photographic negative over a piece of light-sensitive lantern glass, and were then often hand-painted to give the image a rich, colorful finish. The slides were displayed using “Magic Lantern Slide” technology , lit up by lantern or candle light, and projected on a wall.

Much of the material in this collection was created by or received from the Agricultural Extension Service, and depicts various aspects of agriculture in North Carolina, including agricultural extension work, agricultural research, farms and farm life, animal husbandry, botany, horticulture, and crop science.

"Barn, fields and a row of flowers with mountains in the background"
"Barn, fields and a row of flowers with mountains in the background"
"African American Home Demonstration Club at Thompson's Roadside Market"
"African American Home Demonstration Club at Thompson's Roadside Market"
"Man with flowers in field in the mountains"
"Man with flowers in field in the mountains"
"Harvesting Lespedeza hay with mule-drawn agricultural equipment"
"Harvesting Lespedeza hay with mule-drawn agricultural equipment"

You can view more of the slides in this collection through our Rare and Unique Digital Collections site, where you can also access thousands of images , video , audio recordings , and textual materials documenting NC State history and other topics.  If you'd like to learn more about these resources or have any other questions, as always, please feel free to contact us !