The Shadow of the Bottle
Campaign image for the exhibition De schaduw van de fles: van glasplaat tot film, Jenevermuseum, Hasselt, Belgium.
We have lent two postcards from our collection to the upcoming exhibition De schaduw van de fles: van glasplaat tot film (The Shadow of the Bottle: from lantern plate to cinema). The exhibition will open on 6 June at the Jenevermuseum in Hasselt. While mainly focusing on the dangers of alcohol, as presented by the magic lantern, the exhibition also draws relationships with cinema in its earliest years.
At the end of the nineteenth century, a fierce battle erupted against the temptations and dangers of alcohol. Reformers, doctors, and religious organisations employed the most spectacular forms of media for this purpose: magic lanterns, wax figures, theatre, and early film. Their campaigns were emotionally charged and visually particularly powerful. After all, what you see and feel hits harder than what you hear or read.
'The Shadow of the Bottle' brings this forgotten visual culture back to life. The exhibition shows how popular media managed to convince a mass audience in the fight against alcohol abuse. In addition, it exposes an extensive and largely unknown image archive that bears witness to an early attempt at behavioural change. The visual strategies of that time prove surprisingly relevant today and shed new light on our own media culture. The battle for attention, for persuasion, and for steering behaviour is older than we think.
Central to the exhibition is the magic of the magic lantern: dramatic scenes, recognisable family stories, and scientific images intended to both warn and move the public. But the magic lantern did not stand alone. Posters, print media, music, theatre, and later the first film combined to form one compelling visual machine. Each medium reinforced the message; each image left a new trace.
Curious how spectacle, emotion, and technology grew together into one of the earliest media campaigns in our history? Step inside and let yourself be carried away by (the shadow of) the light.
More info on the exbhibition in Dutch: Jenevermuseum
In English for now only on the general site: Jenevermuseum/en
The Shadow of the Bottle
Campaign image for the exhibition De schaduw van de fles: van glasplaat tot film, Jenevermuseum, Hasselt, Belgium.
We have lent two postcards from our collection to the upcoming exhibition De schaduw van de fles: van glasplaat tot film (The Shadow of the Bottle: from lantern plate to cinema). The exhibition will open on 6 June at the Jenevermuseum in Hasselt. While mainly focusing on the dangers of alcohol, as presented by the magic lantern, the exhibition also draws relationships with cinema in its earliest years.
At the end of the nineteenth century, a fierce battle erupted against the temptations and dangers of alcohol. Reformers, doctors, and religious organisations employed the most spectacular forms of media for this purpose: magic lanterns, wax figures, theatre, and early film. Their campaigns were emotionally charged and visually particularly powerful. After all, what you see and feel hits harder than what you hear or read.
'The Shadow of the Bottle' brings this forgotten visual culture back to life. The exhibition shows how popular media managed to convince a mass audience in the fight against alcohol abuse. In addition, it exposes an extensive and largely unknown image archive that bears witness to an early attempt at behavioural change. The visual strategies of that time prove surprisingly relevant today and shed new light on our own media culture. The battle for attention, for persuasion, and for steering behaviour is older than we think.
Central to the exhibition is the magic of the magic lantern: dramatic scenes, recognisable family stories, and scientific images intended to both warn and move the public. But the magic lantern did not stand alone. Posters, print media, music, theatre, and later the first film combined to form one compelling visual machine. Each medium reinforced the message; each image left a new trace.
Curious how spectacle, emotion, and technology grew together into one of the earliest media campaigns in our history? Step inside and let yourself be carried away by (the shadow of) the light.
More info on the exbhibition in Dutch: Jenevermuseum
In English for now only on the general site: Jenevermuseum/en