The Collections Story – We’re still feeling positive about negatives!
Back in January 2025 we shared the work we’ve been doing to organise, index, appraise, and re-package our celluloid negatives collection. Since then, we’ve also been working on our collection of glass negatives and lantern slides.
Glass negatives and slides are an early form of photography, using glass plates with emulsion to create images, dating from around the 1850s. Lantern slides were viewed on a projector, also known as a magic lantern or lanterna magica, and used for entertainment and educational purposes. An early form of a slide projector, it was most popular in the late 18th to early 20th centuries.
Many of our glass negatives were stored in old plastic or wooden boxes, so we’ve been moving them to conservation grade paper sleeves and boxes, and standing them upright which reduces the pressure on the fragile glass. They will be safe to move to our new centres, where specially designed racking will be waiting for them.
So far we’ve re-discovered some lovely images of Cheshire people, places, and events, including Beeston Castle, Bramhall Hall, the River Dee, various churches, a fete in the Wallasey area, and agricultural images. Some date back to the 1870s, but the quality of the images remains incredibly clear and precise.
As with their celluloid cousins, we’ve come across images that are currently a mystery to us. We’ll be featuring some on our regular #MysteryImageMonday Facebook feature in the future, but we’re also sharing two here if you fancy doing some detective work! Do comment below if you spot a clue to the whereabouts of this building or this stone cross.
By Heather Vernon, Local Studies Librarian
