E. Plank, Germany Patent filmstrip lantern

painted tin lantern, with reflector, lens, condenser, spirit burner, fitted with two sealed film cannisters attached by four long pins (two missing) with a single hand cut/hand coloured transfer printed 45mm wide translucent filmstrip, hand stitched with cotton thread and joined together in 50cm lengths, lens and cannister apparatus supported on a separate pillar with foot (detached but present), the back of lantern fitted with handle, in maker's original paper covered box with label printed PATENT-LATERNA-MAGICA mit Rollen-Apparat no.106 with Plank's winged wheel insigina, together with two wood mounted chromotropic slides and another incomplete example, (filmstrip detached in three sections). A rare and early (non-interchangeable) filmstrip projector for continuous film shows. The projector is unusual and was probably made in very small numbers for at this time no-one had yet commercially developed a successful base material for projecting continuous images. An important piece for any museum collection! which clearly demonstrates the advantages of continuous film projection over glass slides and a stage in the evolution of cinema prior to its invention. The filmstrip is possibly made of translucent paper coated with a gelatine varnish or a similar substance to give rigidity and flexibility to the material without it breaking. J. Bischof of Berlin patent no. 7647 of the 19th April 1879 illustrates a similer cannister film transport system to this lantern and describes the use of projecting images from a translucent gelatine filmstrip and also a paper filmstrip backed onto to canvas. This lantern pre-dates Plank`s filmstrip lantern of c.1895, which consisted of a standard Climax lantern body and cannister system attached to the front and used a 35mm celluloid filmstrip. A similer shaped lantern c.1885 marked G.T. is illustrated in Laterna Magica by Ernst Hrabalek p. 127