Story in 4 parts (Santa Claus)

Also worth mentioning are about 50 magic lantern slides in the Folklore collection. These were used in a magic lantern, a type of slide projector that originally enlarged images painted on glass and projected them onto a white screen or light wall. The name 'magic lantern' or 'lanterna magica' is due to the magical powers that the spectators initially attributed to it.

The first lantern slides were hand-painted, but later a type of transfer decal was placed on the glass, known as decalcomania. The selected slide comes from a series of 12 and was produced by the Gebrüder Bing in Nuremberg (Germany) around 1895. It depicts Saint Nicholas, known to us as 'Sinterklaas' (Santa Claus), represented as a man with a long white beard in a brown robe and with a blue hat with a feather. The man first threatens with the birch rod, but ultimately rewards the well-behaved children with sweets.