Samuel Bastide's Magic Lantern Show in Saint-Jean-du-Gard

An exhibition at Maison Rouge – Musée des Vallées Cévenoles in Saint-Jean-du-Gard revives the work of Samuel Bastide (born 1879), a photographer, painter, draftsman, and storyteller who toured France and French-speaking Switzerland for decades with his magic lantern. He hand-painted some 2,500 glass plates, projecting and narrating biblical stories, the history of Protestants and Camisards, and tales by La Fontaine, Daudet, Victor Hugo, and Maupassant. A militant anti-alcoholism activist, he also gave educational screenings in schools and barracks. The exhibition traces Bastide's career from the origins of the magic lantern to his own universe, revealing his inspirations, fabrication techniques, and the influence of Art Nouveau. An immersive reconstruction of his projection sessions recreates the magic of these luminous shows. The magic lantern, a precursor to cinema, projected painted glass plates as early as the 17th century. In the 19th century, photography and the motion studies of Étienne-Jules Marey and Eadweard Muybridge paved the way for animated projections. Cinema emerged from centuries of innovations in painting, optics, photography, and light projection. Bastide's shows belong to this prehistory of film. The exhibition runs from June 19, 2026 to May 2, 2027, closed Mondays, admission €2.