Combined magic lantern and 35mm movie projector

After the invention of the cinematograph in 1892 and the introduction of commercial cinema screenings in 1895, magic lanterns began looking a little old hat. The enterprising folk at Bing Werke in Germany had a solution: a contraption for home use that combined both. Pictured here, it was a magic lantern with a basic cinematograph and could switch between the two.

Bing Werke (translation: Bing Works) made tin toys, including dolls and steam trains, and advanced technological devices. The company was founded in 1863 by German brothers Ignaz and Adolf Bing and was, for a time, the largest toy factory in the world – until its demise in the early 1930s during the Great Depression and political upheaval in Germany.