Slates were like small, portable blackboards
for students to write on. They were widely used in the United States
when paper was scarce and expensive. Even though paper had become
commonplace by the late 1800s, it was still considered too expensive
for the demands of children in rural schools.Until 1900, many children
in rural schools still used slates for writing their assignments.
Slates were named after the stone that was used to make them. Slate is a kind of stone that can be separated into flat sheets. These flat sheets were typically cut down to pieces roughly 8" x 11". Early slates were made without any frames. Later, wooden frames were constructed around the edges of slates to provide support. Sometimes, a piece of felt or perhaps a ribbon of string was run around the edge of the frame to protect small hands from slivers. Slate is still commonly used today for roofing, flagstones, in buildings, and for the tops of pool tables.
Slates were ideal for work that didn't need
to be saved like math homework or penmanship. Students might practice
a lesson in class and take it up to the teacher to check. The lesson
could then be erased and the student would work on the next assignment.
Slates were easily cleaned and, unlike paper, nothing was thrown away
or wasted.
There were special pencils made for writing on slates. These pencils
were themselves made from slate and were sold in boxes of six or twelve.
Often, the pencils had a paper wrapping on them like crayons do today.
If the slate pencil broke, the pieces could still be used.
Slates have been in use in the United States
for a long time. They were advertised in newspapers as early as 1737.
Slates with wooden frames were advertised in 1749.
It's often hard to tell how old a particular slate might be. They are
still manufactured today and have been a popular toy off and on over
the years. Perhaps the best way to determine the age of a slate is from
the frame. The frames of older slates were often handmade from better
wood and had fitted dovetail corners. Newer slates typically are framed
in pine and are held together with small nails.
Most slates looked like any other slate. However, there were some interesting varieties that appeared. The Blackwell has examples of "double slates." These were created when two slates were tied together so that they could be opened and closed like a book. We also have books that were called "book slates." These weren't really made out of slate, though. They were made of thick paper that had been painted black to look like slates. The pages in these books could be used just like slates. One company even created a set of map drawing cards. These later "slates" were made in the 1860s.
What is a magic lantern? Magic lanterns were an early kind of slide projector. They were very popular in the 1800s and even into the early 1900s. Magic lanterns were manufactured for both home and professional use. The lanterns made for home use were generally called toy magic lanterns. These were different from the more sophisticated, professional versions designed for lecture or other instructional uses.
The smaller and less sophisticated toy magic
lanterns were commonly used for home entertainment. These lanterns
would be used to show a series of glass slides. The pictures on
earlier slides were hand painted and were like the illustrations
out of children's books. Later slides had actual photographs on
them, frequently about distant and exotic people and places.
Sometimes whole towns would gather together outside some evening
to watch a magic lantern show. Someone with a magic lantern would
set up near a large wall and project images to delight everyone.
Larger, professional quality magic lanterns were used in schools
for instruction. However, the subject of the slides wasn't usually
as entertaining. The Blackwell has hundreds of educational glass
slides. They include pictures of various plants, flowers, trees,
and animals. We also have a large collection of glass slides that
trace the history of education .
There were many kinds of toy magic lanterns.
Most looked like small black boxes. Inside was a small kerosene
lamp that provided the light for the slides. The lamp had a small
chimney for the smoke that protruded from the top of the magic lantern.
This chimney was often covered with a smokestack that had a 90 degree
elbow near the top to avoid any loss of light. (See a diagram of a magic lantern.)
Professional magic lanterns were better made. They had better lenses
to project the pictures and better sources of light.
The slides used for home use came in two forms. The earlier slides
were narrow, rectangular pieces of glass with four separate scenes
painted on each slide. With the invention of photography, actual
photos were transferred to slides.
Professional slides were generally better made than the slides made
for home use. Instead of several images on a single slide, professional
slides had a single picture or illustration per slide. The images
and the method used to apply them to slides were generally of a
higher quality, too.
Small Glass Slide
A typical, hand painted glass slide for a toy magic lantern.
The Lee and Lida Cochran AECT (Association
of Educational Communications and Technology) Archives is a collection
of hardware (audio, visual, and audiovisual machines) obtained from
early organizations, conferences, founders, vendors, and users in the
field currently called Instructional or Educational Technology. The
original focus of the archives was to keep a record of early machines
used for educational purposes. (A few pieces represent entertainment
hardware.) The collection includes:
In this high-tech world, it is hard to imagine life without technology. The AECT Collection allows professors and students to examine technology used in schools throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. Professors can gain a special appreciation that they no longer have to use Magic Lantern Slide Projectors and hand-cranked movie projectors. Students can gain a better appreciation of computers today by learning about typewriters and early computers such as the Timex Sinclair 1000.
Artifacts in the AECT Collection are available for professors to use
for demonstration. They can be a valuable tool in history of education
classes and instruction technology classes, as well as
many other classes.
To better understand where we are going, we must understand where we have been, and there is no better way of doing that than hands-on experience. Using this collection in the classroom can provide valuable hands-on experience that cannot be received at any other school due to the distinctiveness of this collection.