12. Magic Lantern Alphabet of Animals.
London, Paris, New York: Raphael Tuck & Sons, not before 1886.
This group of well-behaved, stylish Victorian children is viewing slides of different birds and mammals. The boy operating the lantern is wearing a fashionable sailor suit with knickerbockers. The boy standing to his right is in the short velvet trousers and jacket with a lace collar popularized by the hero of Little Lord Fauntleroy (1886), a best-selling novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett (1849-1924). In the illustrations for NOP and WXY, boys are shown reading this book during the magic lantern show.
The firm of Raphael Tuck & Sons was well-known for its stylish
paper dolls, ingenious moveable books, and the Artistic Toy Novelty
series, which featured detailed, die-cut, embossed figures printed
in bright colors.
