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A history of film projectors, shown through magic lanterns, film cameras, edison projectors, and more.
Magic lantern is a device that enlarges pictures or videos using light and lens. It was invented early on in Europe, as far ago as 400 years ago. Before the advent of film, the magic lantern gave people joy with live images, and were sometimes used by magicians in its early days. Film projectors of today began from magic lanterns, and our museum has about 500 pieces of various magic lanterns made all around the world.
Film camera was initially known as "moving pictures" to some; it is a mechanical device that records moving images. Our museum holds various types of cameras ranging from those that existed before the invention of film, to Edison's film projector, the kinetoscope. In addition, the visitors will be delighted to see the development of film cameras from the days when they had to be operated by turning the handle manually.
Edison is a great inveentor who gave us light in the dark with his invention of the light bulb, and allowed us to record intangible sound by creating gramophone. Not only that, he also invented the film projector that shows moving picture. In our galleries, visitors will be able to see projectors from the early days when Edison first invented the machine.
Sitting in chairs actually used in American theaters 100 years ago, visitors can enjoy a video showing a bird's-eye-view history of film, from magic lanterns to 1930s films. Visitors can also view what it felt like to watch a film decades ago that were projected by magic lanterns and home projectors back in the day.
In this space, visitors may view a side of Korean film history through the pieces and collection of Shin Bong-seung, who marked a new era of Korean silm senarios.
This space exhibits collections from Director Son Man-Sung, who is also a professor at Columbia College in Chicago. It holds several hundred pices of cameras and other imaging equipment used by Professor Son for the last 40 years.