The Phantasmagoria.
Between the phantasmagoria and the magic lantern there is this difference: in common magic lanterns the figures are painted on transparent glass; consequently the image on the screen is a circle of light, having figures upon it; but in the phantasmagoria all the glass is opaque, except the figures, which, being painted in transparent colors, the light shines through them, and no light can come upon the screen except that which passes through the figure.
There is no sheet to receive the picture, but the representation is thrown on a thin screen of silk or muslin, placed between the spectators and the lantern. The images are made to appear approaching and receding, by removing the lantern further from the screen, or bringing it nearer to it. This is a great advantage over the arrangements of the magic lantern, and by it the most astonishing effects are often produced.