Lantern slide portrait of Charles Dickens

A magic lantern slide featuring a photograph of Charles Dickens (1812–1870) shown at the Royal Polytechnic Institution, London over Christmas 1875. This slide was used to open the presentation of 'Gabriel Grub and the Grim Goblin', a production based on 'The Story of the Goblin Who Stole a Sexton' by Dickens, which appeared in 'The Pickwick Papers'.

The Royal Polytechnic Institution in Regent Street , London, was renowned for its spectacular magic lantern shows employing as many as six huge lanterns projecting large, hand-painted slides eight inches (20.3 cm) by five inches (12.7 cm).