W C Hughes Magic Lantern
An antique magic lantern from the factory of William Charles Hughes of London. It is of tinplate and brass construction and is fitted with a triple extension lens with cover engraved ‘W C Hughes’ and maker’s plaque to the front bearing the words ‘W C Hughes, Brewster House, 82 Mortimer Road, London, N1’. Hughes was an optician and lantern maker, and before that an established performer and magician. He began making magic lanterns in the 1870s, operating initially from the capital’s Hoxton Street, but relocating to Brewster House in 1882. He died on 7 August 1908, aged sixty-four.
The lantern measures 66cm (lens extended) and stands 28cm high.