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YMCA lantern slide collection

 Collection
Identifier: Y.USA.47

SCOPE AND CONTENTS OF THE COLLECTION

SCOPE AND CONTENTS OF THE COLLECTION Lantern slides document YMCA international work, work with the armed services (during World War I, specifically), and other activities. The collection includes numerous sets compiled for lectures or scripted presentations that would have been used for educational or entertainment purposes. Of particular note are hand-painted slides made by German prisoners of war during World War I, sets used for public health campaigns in China (including a set used by YMCA secretary and medical missionary W. W. Peter to tell the story of "Brother Fat and Brother Lean"), an overview of YMCA history, and lectures on YMCA youth work in China, India, Latin America, and other parts of the world. Also notable are the many slides (over 270) depicting World War I, including ruins; fortifications; YMCA canteens, dugouts, and huts; and YMCA activities that were part of the organization's war effort. The collection also includes eight lantern slide guides with scripts for the lectures that would have been given as the slides were shown.

Slides are primarily black and white unless otherwise noted.

Dates

  • 1910s-1920s.

Language of Materials

Collection is predominantly in English. Includes one lantern slide script in German

Use of Materials:

This collection is protected by the Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17, U.S. Code). It is the user's responsibility to verify copyright, ownership, and to obtain all the necessary permissions prior to the reproduction, publication, or other use of any portion of these materials.

NOTE ON YMCA LANTERN SLIDES

NOTE ON YMCA LANTERN SLIDES Lantern slide technology was widely used by the YMCA and the various lecture departments of national and local YMCAs during the early decades of the 20th century. Using either gas or electric lamps, light was projected through a glass image and thrown on a wall or screen. These images allowed lectures to add illustrative and often dramatic images to their presentations. Many Americans working in foreign YMCAs used this technology to help bridge the language gap. This allowed the YMCA to bring its messages of health, agricultural, and cultural education to large audiences. The bulk of the lantern slides in the collection are of photographic images, however many of those are hand colored, and in other cases the entire image is painted on by hand.

Extent

1727 slides and 9 volumes (31 boxes

Additional Description

Abstract

Lantern slides and lantern slide shows or lectures compiled by the YMCA, for educational or entertainment use, depicting YMCA activities, mainly in the areas of international (foreign) work and armed services work during World War I.

Physical Location

See Detailed Description section for box listing.

OTHER FINDING AIDS

OTHER FINDING AIDS An item-level listing of most of the Asia-related slides is available (includes those slides that were digitized -- L140-L241, L244-L486).

Alternative Formats Available:

A group of 133 of the World War I-related slides, including the 32 German prisoner of war slides (and the script that goes with 32 of them) have been digitized. An additional 350 or so slides of YMCA work in Asia (especially China) have also been digitized.

Processing Information:

Processed by: Lara Friedman-Shedlov, June 2010.

Catalog Record ID number: 5707881

Subjects

Finding Aid & Administrative Information

Title
YMCA LANTERN SLIDES:
Subtitle
An Inventory
Author
Finding aid prepared by Lara Friedman-Shedlov.
Date
2008
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
English

Collecting Area Details

Collecting Area Details

Contact The Kautz Family YMCA Archives Collecting Area

http://www.lib.umn.edu/ymca
Contact:

612-625-3445

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