J. Theobald and Company's extra special illustrated catalogue of magic lanterns, slides and apparatus (circa 1900)

SPSCIAXd N^O'TICESS I N issuing our new catalogue of Magic Lanterns and Slides for the present season we wish to draw your attention to the very large number of new slides which are contained heiein, and particularly to the Life Model sets. This catalogue now con- tains descriptions of over 100,000 slides and is supposed to be about one of the most comprehensive yet issued. We have made one price for photographic slides right throughout. It is always possible if customers want slides specially well coloured, to fedo them up to any price, but the quality mentioned in this catalogue is quite equal to those supplied by other houses in the trade. It must always be borne in mind that there are lantern slides and lantern slides, and that there are a few people not very well known in the trade, who issue a list of very low priced slides indeed, many of which are simply slides which would not be sold by any Optician with an established reputation. A great many persons now go in for photographing slides who know very little about the business, and turn out slides of very inferior qualily which they are glad to dispose of at a very low rate, but such slides are not fit to be shown in any ordinary exhibition. We shall be glad if persons, before deciding to purchase slides any where else, if they have any doubt about the quality of our slides, will send for one or two samples. It will be noticed that we have a very large variety. If any special kind of Lantern is required, or if persons W'ant a lantern made to their own designs, we shall be pleased to supply it. We are also prepared to supply photo- graphic^ slides or hand-painted slides of any subject, of which an engraving or illustration is handed to us, or to copy slides from any negatives which any of our customers may wish to have produced as lantern slides. In ordering slides for hire, persons should always endeavour to give as long notice as possible ; we cannot guarantee to let out all the slides in this list for hire, because as this means keeping an immense stock, it is always possible in the busy season, that some of thrae slides are sold out, or, if there are only one or two sets left, we have to keep them in stock in case we want them for purchasers; in all popular sets of slides we always keep a large stock and there is no difficulty whatever in obtaining these at the shortest notice. We have generally got in stock a quantity of second-hand Lanterns and .Slides, which are quite equal for showing purposes to any of those contained in this list, but which are not good enough to sell as new: it is impossible for us to publish a list of these, as they are constantly being sold out, but any persons paying a visit to London, if they would call here, could always look over our stock and might pick up a great many We shall be extremely glad, if people who are satisfied wdth our goods will recommend them to their friends, because the larger quantity we are able to sell the cheaper we are able to produce. We would draw particular attention to our new patent lime light jet, and also to the very low prices at which we are selling our mechanical slides ; our photographic slides It will be seen, are very much lower than the prices asked by most other houses, and in all other cases are the same price, in no one instance are they higher. We should like to draw your attention to three 'or four special sets of slides which have been produced at a very great expense from best engravings of the follow- ing subjects : “ Romeo and Juliet,” “The Charge of the Light Brigade, and Life with the Colours,” and a very excellent set called “ Utopia,” by Jerome K. Jerome; these slides are produced both in the lithographic slides and also in the photographic; and a very excellent set of the “Overland Route to India,” being incidents on board one of the “ P. and O.” vessels, from the time it leaves Tilbury Docks to the time of arrival in India : these are copied by special permission from “P. and O.” Pencillings in possession of the “ Peninsular and Oriental ” Steamship Company, and to those persons who have ever made a voyage on one of these vessels, these sets of slides will no doubt be very welcome, as well as to any others who are curious to know what life on board a Floating Palace really is.