Author Description

Magic Visions: Portraying and Inventing South Africa with Lantern Slides is a profoundly original and fascinating body of work. The book muses upon a collection of magic lantern slides which lived in the attic of the Zuid-Afrikahuis in Amsterdam. After remaining out of sight for a number of decades, the collection of slides was brought to light ahead of the house's renovation project in 2014-2015. This occurrence happened when a few of the boxes of slides literally fell in front of the feet of the resident researchers - remaining true and in keeping with their characteristic nature of being mysterious and alluring. These slides consisted of imagery of South Africa and date back to the early part of the 20th century. Collectively, they were used to promote, and possibly 'brand', South Africa with the intention to attract travel and emigration. This was done through information evenings organized by the Nederlands Zuid-Afrikaanse Vereniging (Netherlands-South Africa Association, NZAV), whose aim was to nurture and strengthen ties between the Dutch and the Afrikaners.