Tuesday, November 30, 2010

The Fabulous Postcard Projector

It's not even Christmas yet, but here I am the recipient of a marvelous gift. It is so fabulous. Earlier this year, Tracy over at Tracy's Toys bought something she had never seen before--an early 1900s tin postcard projector.  You insert a postcard, and you can project the image on a wall.  I remember seeing it and marveling at it, but I never thought I'd have one of my own. Then, out of the blue, Tracy decided to send it to me. Wow!

Here is the back, where you insert the card. The chimney serves to dissipate the heat from the light bulb.



Here are some side and front views, showing the lens.


And, yes it works, although it takes awhile to switch cards, so your audience may lose patience. I don't see any reflector in the box though, so I'm not sure exactly how it works. Here's a diagram from a 1909 Popular Mechanics article that shows a postcard projector with two lights.

If you love gadgets and toys, be sure to take a look at all of the other good stuff over at Tracy's Toys. Eventually Tracy is going to run out of space to display her collection and she'll have to open a museum. I'm looking forward to that day.
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13 comments:

  1. Sheila @ A Postcard a DayNovember 30, 2010 at 8:13 AM

    An amazing contraption. I expect your friends and neighbours are looking forward to your shows. :)

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  2. Christine H.November 30, 2010 at 9:02 AM

    Sheila,
    Even as a postcard lover, I suspect you say this in jest. Friends and neighbors are currently crafting excuses as to why they are unable to attend our first postcard viewing. They are not naive, having been subjected to grueling architectural slide shows in the past.

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  3. TracyNovember 30, 2010 at 9:14 AM

    Hi Christine,

    Whew: I'm glad you got it working! Every time I touched it, the little door would fall off, and I decided I had better just leave it alone before I broke it. Enjoy tormenting your friends and relations with it!

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  4. JanineNovember 30, 2010 at 12:59 PM

    Das ist ja ein doller Apparat.
    Wir, genauer gesagt meine Ma, hat noch von den Großeltern einen ebenfalls tollen Aparat aus den 20ern. Eine frühe Form des View Masters.Es kommen Doppelkarten rein die man dann, durch eine kuriose Brille in 3D sieht.
    Es sind alte Ansichten aus Köln. man kann das nur noch am Dom erkennen. Nach WW2 hat die stadt sich sehr (zum Häßlichen) verändert.
    Liebe Grüße
    Janine

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  5. L. D. November 30, 2010 at 2:04 PM

    I have never heard of on of these before but it looks like a real novelty item.

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  6. Paul CNovember 30, 2010 at 3:08 PM

    This is the perfect gift for you! Kind of like a post card diorama.

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  7. TrishiaNovember 30, 2010 at 4:49 PM

    Christine, this is so neat! I've never heard of this contraption before. I think it would make a great art gallery-type display to surprise visitors with. No torture involved:) -- just one of your awesome cards on the wall big and bold. A fellow on Postcardcollectors.org says he has one that makes the image 3-D!

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  8. AnonymousNovember 30, 2010 at 6:35 PM

    I prefer to think of those slide shows as 'enlightening', rather than 'grueling'... Consider yourself lucky, the multi-hour marathons after my first trip to Europe were truly cruel and unusual punishment! By the way, I'm pretty sure this mysterious card projector also cures a variety of ailments if anyone is interested.

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  9. Tattered and LostDecember 1, 2010 at 12:22 AM

    That's a heck of a lot more interesting than the old "Give a Show Projector" I remember wanting.

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  10. TheCedar ChestDecember 1, 2010 at 11:17 AM

    Wow, that is a new one to me. Fascinating!!

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  11. LindaDecember 1, 2010 at 9:16 PM

    I had a "Give a Show Projector" as a kid, this postcard projector beats it hands down!

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  12. HowardDecember 2, 2010 at 6:40 AM

    Fantastic machine, but it does look like a great way of setting fire to your valuable postcards!

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  13. Postcard RoundupJuly 5, 2011 at 6:03 PM

    That's the coolest thing I've ever seen! If you come across another, call me.

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