The "Unique Glass Slide Project" Story

Here you can see the piece of glass with the
glass slides on top.  On the right you can see
the size of one slide as I am putting it in place.

It was an ordinary day.  Just finished a rather unique framing job where I work at Grebinger Gallery and Frame Shop in Neffsville, PA.  A customer brought a small wooden box into the frame shop which carried 24 old glass slides which were 3 1/4" square.  The slides are in remarkable shape and interesting to observe.  A brief history of the slides follows:  In 1850 two Daguerrotypists in Philadelphia invented a transparent positive image of a photograph in the form of a glass slide that could be projected using a Magic Lantern.  The practice of using Magic Lanterns to project images on glass plates was by no means new.  

The slides are in place with glass on either
side of them.  The frame is ready to be attached.

As early as the 17th century glass slides had been projected using a Magic Lantern.  So you see, these small pieces of glass with colored images on them are rather unique and probably valuable.  Each slide carried a number in the upper left hand corner.  The customer wanted them placed in a frame so he could hang it in a window for all to see the slides.  He wanted them in six rows high, four in each row.  I first cut a piece of window glass 13 1/4" X 19 3/4" which would hold the slides plus a black plastic strip of 1/4" wide around the job on the outside to keep the glass slides in place.  The customer had supplied us with a piece of old hand-made glass which he wanted on the top of the slides.  

Not the best lighting, but you can see what
the final project will look like in his home.

That, I carefully cut to the same size as the bottom glass.  I then had a "sandwich" of the 24 glass slides between two pieces of glass with an edging around them.  Did some measuring and cut an old frame, which he has supplied, to the correct size and placed the "sandwich" inside, fastening it in place on the rear with black metal framing wedges.  The scenes depicted on the slides appear to be children's book images.  The final result was rather heavy since the slides were individually heavy.  I did not put any type of hanger on it, since the customer requested we don't place one on the finished work.  Will be interested to see how he plans to display this outstanding project in a window.  Being a lover of photography, I found the job interesting and rather unusual.  Hope the customer finds his finished project suitable.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.