Since the dawn of Freemasonry, men have gathered in lodges seeking to learn our highest principles and become better men. While our teachings have been left largely unchanged over time, the way these truths have been presented has evolved.
Long before the days of modern technology, many lodges across America purchased Magic Lanterns to teach new initiates the secret lessons of various degrees. These devices allowed Masons to gain a deeper understanding of the craft through hand-painted “slides” that illustrated key concepts of the degree or principle in question.
By the early 1900s, Magic Lanterns were heavily advertised all across the country. Many manufacturers marketed some of their lanterns specifically to Masonic and fraternal groups, designed especially for illustrating the Rituals of the different secret societies.”
Many regalia manufacturers published catalogs advertising a variety of magic lanterns and slides for Masonic organizations. Oftentimes, these manufacturers referred to special lodge lanterns as “Secret Society Lanterns.” These magic lanterns were lightweight and boasted a sharp, clear picture eight to ten feet in diameter from a distance of up to 18 feet.
Eventually, every fraternal lodge from Freemasons to the Knights of Pythias owned a magic lantern and a variety of glass magic lantern slides.
Masonic Magic Lantern Slides
The slides were used similarly to earlier tracing boards, intended to provide a visual aid to lodge instruction. They used Masonic symbols to illustrate the principles embedded in the degrees of Freemasonry, helping candidates associate an image with a Masonic idea. Often, magic lantern slides were simply old tracing boards printed on glass.
As each degree is rich in literature, a complete set of Masonic slides – including those relevant to the Scottish Rite, York Rite, and all other appendant bodies – would number well over 500 slides. The set of magic lantern images relevant to the Master Mason degree alone held 16 slides.
Today, lantern slides represent a tangible example of the visual storytelling inherent in Freemasonry and help inform what Masonic culture and education looked like for candidates and members during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Respectfully submitted by: Nat Gilchrist, PM
