The topics to be found on Victorian photographic magic lantern slides are very wide ranging, from family fun at the seaside, to studies of Church architecture, to pornography and virtually anything else you can think of. By transferring his photos (always men!) to lantern slides, the photographer could share his creations with an audience, be it for a family night in, a lecture at the town hall or a theatrical performance. If he really wanted to impress and had the time and skill to do it, he would hand-colour each slide to bring it to life, as is the case with today’s slide.
The ladies are wearing traditional Welsh costume. At the time, probably the 1890s, it was worn by better-off ladies in rural areas and usually only on special occasions. Later, in the 20th century, it was adopted as Welsh National Dress. So, what is this get-together for ….. a fund-raising coffee morning, a meeting of the Welsh Liberation Front or simply ladies that lunch? Unfortunately, we’ll never know.
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