Camera Obscura, as it was usually called, has been used by painters since the 16th century .
.
This method was soon adapted into a primitive method of projecting painted images onto a screen - called 'Laterna Magica'. Projectors used a
light source
usually a candle or an oil
lamp
which was placed in front of a concave mirror which focused the light onto a painted
transparency
- the slide. Using a lens, the
image
from the
slide
was then projected onto a screen.
Although the optics of projections were well understood, the lack of strong light sources limited the size of the projected image, as well as its sharpness and clarity, making its use in regular theatrical performances impractical. Projection devices did however become a popular toy used at home. These devices were also occasionally used in special performances devoted to scenic and lighting effects, usually performed to small select audiences, which incorporated projected scenery as part of their scenographic spectacle.
One such show was the Eidophusikon (1781-6), presented by De Loutherbourg, David Garrick's
scene
designer. It included a stage, six foot
broad
and eight foot deep, in which moving painted scenery was lit in numerous colors .
The introduction of new effective light sources - the limelight and the
electric arc
- enabled projections to become a popular effect both in and outside of the theatre. Thus for instance in 1894 advertisements were projected onto the clouds of Chicago.
With the advent of electric lighting, new efficient projectors were developed. These included strong light sources, a portable housing which could be hung in various places and positions, and a
lens
system capable of projecting pictures, contours and different shapes. Moving images could be achieved by incorporating variable speed motors. In a production of Faust in 1910 at the Deutches Theatre in Berlin, a sky complete with moving clouds and blinking stars was projected by a
moving effects
projector comprised of 30 electric arcs, with motors which moved the slides and a system of mirrors and lenses.
Over the 20th century, the technology of scenographic projections has undergone enormous improvements, making it a versatile, effective and quite common scenographic element.
